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News - Planting energy for the near future
May 2006: New members of the TV Bioenergy Coppice producer group have recently completed the planting of a total of 55 hectares of short rotation coppice for energy purposes. The willow crops, which were planted in Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and East Sussex, are likely to be ready to be harvested in 2010. They will then be chipped and used as a fully renewable and net-carbon-neutral fuel.
Short Rotation Coppice Harvest Day, 29th April 2004
Following on from the 'Cut-Back Day' held in March, TV Bioenergy Coppice's second event, the SRC harvest, was held on Thursday 29th April at Friars Court farm in Oxfordshire. There were over 30 attendees from a wide variety of organisations, including farmers, a power generating company, research organisations, a waste management company a water company, local authorities, and others. A complete list of attendees is shown below.
The objectives of the day were to:
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Demonstrate the operation of the harvester to interested parties
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Discuss other operational aspects of the crop such as planting, cut-back etc
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Show the re-growth of the TV Bioenergy Coppice plantation which was cut-back in March 2004
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Harvest approximately 8 hectares of existing SRC that was planted as part of the site/clone interaction trials in the early 1990s
The harvester used was a Claas forage harvester fitted with a header designed specifically for use with short rotation coppice. The harvester is owned and operated by Coppice Resources Limited (CRL), a member of TV Bioenergy Coppice.
Despite the bad weather most delegates saw the harvester in operation and were talked through the mechanical operation by Mark Paulson of
CRL.
The woodchip generated by the harvesting at Friars Court will be dried on site and then sent to Slough Heat and Power where it will be fed into the boilers to generate electricity and heat.
SRC Harvest Day Attendees
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Last
Name
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First
Name
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Organisation/Farm
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Aston
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Cherry
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Bucks
CC
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Brewer
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Alan
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HNRI
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Bruton
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Charlotte
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TV
Energy
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Burgess
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Graham
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Artscapes
Design
|
|
Capes
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Jonathon
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|
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Cox
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Peter
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Grange
Farm
|
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Culshaw
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Damian
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Business
Link
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Dell
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Ron
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Evans
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Nigel
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Cherwell
DC
|
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Grace
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Henry
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Terra
|
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Hepburn
|
Iain
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HNRI
|
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Johnson
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Andy
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TERRA
|
|
Knight
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David
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Road
Farm
|
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Lindegaard
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Kevin
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The
Wonder Tree
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Macalpine
|
William
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Rothhamstead
Research
|
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Marshall
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Richard
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RMC
|
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Page
|
Jonathon
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Farmers
weekly
|
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Parrington
|
Stewart
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Cargill
|
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Perry
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Keith
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Terra
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Prior
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Jake
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Summerleaze
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Raymond
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Frank
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Shield
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Ian
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Rothamstead
Research
|
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Smith
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Gordon
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Farmer
|
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Smith
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Mike
|
Farmer
|
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Spurling
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Nick
|
|
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Ventress
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Dave
|
Terra
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Von
Oppenheim
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Frederick
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Farmer
|
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Willet
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Barry
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Defra
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Wilson
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Emma
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Innogy
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Wilson
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Hugh
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Bucks
CC
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