Biomass at Goodwood

Did you know that 3,500 tonnes of straw from the Festival of Speed last year helped heat and provide power to many of the buildings across the Goodwood Estate?

In November 2021, Goodwood invested £7 million into a 3.5mw Biomass energy facility, delivering both hot water and electricity to venues across the estate, including Goodwood Hotel, Goodwood House, Park Lodge, and a proportion of Goodwood events. This year, 25,000kW of energy from Biomass was used to power the Festival of Speed. The new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system based at Redvins Barns, is fuelled by 3,500 tonnes of straw from the Festival of Speed and 3,500 tonnes of woodchip from our Forestry team, reducing the estate’s carbon footprint by over 5,100 tonnes per year.

The Biomass Facility, which burns 1 tonne of fuel per hour, boasts a thermal output of 3.5MW, equivalent to powering 120 household boilers simultaneously. This considerable heat energy is harnessed using an Organic Rankin Cycle (ORC), incorporating a low-pressure turbine to efficiently generate electricity.

Through the ORC process, the system produces an electrical output of 700kW. In 2022, 13 properties were connected to the private power network, making 16 buildings in total now powered by electricity from the energy centre, with most of those also provided with hot water. Any spare electricity is seamlessly integrated into the grid where local residents with green energy contracts can enjoy the benefits of clean, renewable electricity.

The Biomass system produces ash as a byproduct, which is very high in nutrients. Rather than discarding it, the ash is utilised effectively and used as fertiliser on the estate’s organic farm. In addition to this, no heat goes to waste, as the surplus heat generated is used to dry any damp bales, ready for burning the following day.

During the construction of Biomass, a new substation was built and the estate’s power supply was reconfigured to create a private high-voltage network so that all power generated by the system can be used at as many facilities as possible. In 2022 alone, Biomass generated 2,382,000 KWh of electricity, and as we continue to make significant strides in our aim to become carbon neutral, we hope Biomass will soon power the majority of the estate.