Hydrogen powered ice-cream could be on the menu at a South Yorkshire family farm, with help from the North East and Yorkshire Net Zero Hub.
Our Cow Molly dairy farm in Dungworth has been run by the Andrews family since 1947 – and the business includes an ice cream parlour
The family is collaborating with two Sheffield community groups to make their farm more sustainable – both environmentally and economically – with funding from the national Community Energy Fund, which is managed locally by the Hub.
- Sheffield Renewables are carrying out a feasibility study of solar PV to be based on a new barn facility and a separate wind turbine.
- SY Ecofit are producing a feasibility study of an anaerobic digester which will produce electricity to either sell to the grid or be used in the production of hydrogen in an on-site facility.
The farm is building a brand-new barn to withstand the weight of solar panels The barn will have a slurry pit underneath so cow waste will feed directly into the anaerobic digestor. The methane from this could be used to produce electricity to power the hydrogen electrolyser or as biogas for fuel.
SY Ecofit and Sheffield Renewables were successful in Round 2 of the Community Energy Fund, receiving £40,000 each to develop feasibility of solar PV, wind turbines, an anaerobic digester and hydrogen production facility.
Although Fund is currently closed for applications, the Hub’s Energy Project Enabling Fund (EPEF) is currently open .
EPEF offers capital grants of between £30,000 and £245,000 to deliver local energy projects. More information is available here.
The fund is open until midnight on the December 8th.
The Hub is offering free surgery sessions for Community Energy Groups and Local Authorities early in 2025.
The sessions will offer groups 1:1 advice from expert consultants on key aspects of developing community energy projects.
The sessions will focus on:
- Net Zero Project Planning and Development (February 4th and 5th 2025)
- Low Carbon Technologies (February 6th and 7th 2025)
- Governance and Procurement (February 10th and 11th 2025)
- Commercial case development (February 12th and 13th 2025)
You can book a session here.
