A factory powered exclusively by renewable energy is set to begin manufacturing in the spring of next year in what is said to be a "first of its kind" in the UK.
NorFrame – which produces timber kit frames for homes, schools and commercial buildings – is nearing completion of its new 31,000sq ft facility at Foveran in Aberdeenshire in a move that will create 11 new jobs. Powered by an on-site anaerobic digestion plant fuelled by silage from a neighbouring farm, the £4 million factory is expected to produce 20 timber kits per week.
NorFrame was set up in 2020 by the bosses of Cairnrowan Custom Homes after waiting times for essential materials rose from four weeks to five months, creating the need for a long-term local supply solution. Cairnrowan specialises in the construction of bespoke homes that are highly energy efficient.
The project has been supported by £750,000 from the Scottish Government's Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund, the first grant awarded through the fund.
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“Our goal was to solve a carbon footprint problem that would provide 100 per cent assurance that a timber manufacturing process can be clean, green, and cost effective," NorFrame's Gregor Davidson said.
“The idea of combining the neighbouring anaerobic digestion plant and our own homegrown plant silage from a farm four miles away, with a two-zone heat capturing design, came after months of testing and reworking our plans. It was a eureka moment."
The anaerobic digestor has been operational since 2014 and relies on a feed-in tariff (FiT) agreement that ends in 13 years’ time, meaning it required alternative arrangements to remain viable beyond that time. NorFrame’s factory will use up to 60% of the plant’s renewable electricity.
"It means that we take plant silage, ferment it for six months and then feed it into the anaerobic digestion plant which will power the factory," Mr Davidson explained. "During that process, heat is created.
"Our idea is to capture that heat – which would have otherwise gone to waste – and redirect it to heat the entire factory and office space. And any waste from the digestion process is then used as fertiliser for next year’s crop.
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"It is a fully organic, closed fuel cycle and we know it will make a significant contribution to Scotland’s net zero ambitions.”
The Scottish Government announced new measures in June 2022 to slash carbon emissions of all new-build homes by nearly a third. These energy standards also apply to new non-domestic buildings and form plans to reduce emissions across Scotland’s building stock by more than two-thirds by 2030.
NorFrame co-founder Philip Edwards added: “Our clients have a variety of different thermal requirements depending on their own projects. Our new facility will allow us to cater for different solutions and showcase the products within our timber frame package.”
Rhona Allison, head of business growth at Scottish Enterprise, said Scotland’s manufacturers have a "key role" to play in meeting net zero targets.
“Identifying, combining, and harnessing the carbon-reducing technologies at its fingertips will see NorFrame take a truly circular approach to timber kit manufacturing that eliminates any use of fossil fuels," she said. "It’s exactly the kind of innovative thinking that the fund was designed to stimulate and demonstrates to other manufacturers the benefits of placing decarbonisation at the heart of their businesses.”
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