Unlocking Low-Carbon Horticulture Opportunities in Lincolnshire 

Mapping & Stakeholder Engagement

Client: Lincolnshire County Council

The Brief

District Eating Ltd (DEL) collaborated with Lincolnshire County Council to explore opportunities for low-carbon horticulture in the region. The project aimed to identify sites where greenhouses could benefit from reduced operating costs by using surplus heat. We also conducted stakeholder engagement with key industries to discuss potential opportunities for growing food at their sites. 

Areas

Low-carbon energy, horticulture, food security

Key Stakeholders

Local growers, energy producers, industrial heat generators, cold storage facilities, anaerobic digestion plants, renewable energy developers

Opportunites

  • Economic and Environmental Gains: Repurposing waste heat from industries and energy facilities for greenhouses offers significant cost savings and emission reductions.  
  • Food security: Utilising local resources enhances the economic sustainability of British-grown produce while reducing dependence on imports. 
  • Promising Sites Identified: Several sites with access to surplus heat, renewable power, and arable land show potential for greenhouse development. Some offer opportunities for smaller pilot projects, enabling scalable innovation. 
  • Stakeholder Engagement Successes: Positive engagement with sectors such as anaerobic digestion, heat networks, and cold storage indicates strong interest in greenhouse integration and collaborative projects. 

 

Challenges

  • Resource and Infrastructure Constraints: It is difficult to find the ‘perfect site’ with all desirable criteria, such as flat land, continuous heat supply, and access to affordable power and CO2. Intermittent heat sources, such as gas-fired plants, require costly backup systems to ensure reliability. 
  • Stakeholder Hesitation: Some industries and organisations remain cautious about engaging in early-stage research and development projects. 
  • Technical Feasibility: Capturing heat and processing CO2 to food-grade standards is costly, particularly for smaller operations. 

Outcomes

The project successfully identified and mapped several areas in Lincolnshire with strong potential for low-carbon horticulture, highlighting key opportunities for the utilisation of waste heat and CO2. Through extensive stakeholder engagement, DEL established a database of contacts, including renewable energy providers, anaerobic digestion plants, and local growers, fostering the groundwork for future collaborations. A key outcome of the project was the identification of promising sites that could support pilot schemes, including those with available waste heat, renewable power, and land suitable for greenhouse development.  

This project underscores Lincolnshire’s potential to become a leader in low-carbon horticulture, showcasing how strategic collaboration and innovative use of resources can drive resilience and sustainability in food production. Reflecting on the project, Dan Clayton of Lincolnshire County Council said, “It was a really positive project, and I enjoyed working with the team [at District Eating].” 

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