IT SEEMS incongruous that scant attention has been given to a renewable power source that is undoubtedly "green" and comes with little or no anti-environmental baggage.
Woodchip is a by-product of the forestry industry; shredded wood from the tops of "conventional" trees and the whole of poorer, spindly trees, dried and burned to supply heating.
Its possibilities can be found at the Winton Estate in East Lothian,
owned by Sir Francis Ogilvy, where, every year, about 300 tonnes of woodchip is used to heat Winton House and five cottages. Not only does this produce "free" energy, but, by taking away the dead ends, the estate's woodlands are also cleaner and tidier.
Until now, owners of low-producing rural estates (such as those in the rugged north and west that lack good arable land) have looked upon wind energy, if not as a panacea for their problems, at least as something that will help their cashflow.
Unfortunately for them, these tend to involve some of the most beautiful locations in Scotland, so, whatever the merits of wind energy, planning permission – understandably – tends to be a big problem, as can issues surrounding wild bird habitats and migration routes.
It therefore seems an appropriate time for landowners to wake up to the potential that woodchip-burning offers, although, with present technology, it is feasible only for low- volume energy supply.
Yet woodchip burning already has a big advantage over conventional wind farms, in that there is no necessity to attach the power source to the national grid. It also very much carries a community ethos, which makes it ideal for small rural pockets.
A woodchip power station can be unobtrusive – perhaps even disguised as a crofter's cottage – and, being located close to its power source, woodland, transportation leaves no appreciable carbon footprint.
Looking to the future, an expansion of the generation process would probably see the technology benefit from economies of scale. This could lead to woodchip providing space and water heating for an entire village, rather than just a row of cottages, with the power station having to be manned and creating new jobs.
At present, we are talking about one or two people per unit, but multiply that by several hundred similar projects across the west and north-west Highlands, or Dumfries and Galloway, and the employment prospects start to look encouraging.
Woodchip burning also provides a potential outlet for rural landowners to diversify, probably more necessary now than at any time since the great estates were formed more than two centuries ago.
Until recently, many owners took an attitude of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" to their estates. But a younger generation is waking up to the fact diversification is not only desirable but necessary if the land is to provide an acceptable return and give employment to local people.
The Winton Estate remains wedded to the core activities of farming and forestry, but woodchip power is not the only area into which it has branched out. It has also turned into a leisure business, offering team-building activities, self-catering accommodation, a wedding venue, locations for TV and film shoots and corporate hospitality. These are areas other estates could meaningfully explore.
Winton is part of fertile East Lothian, within a comfortable drive of our capital city, and therefore has a big advantage over estates in the Highlands, but it can still provide a good template. Rugged mountain scenery is what attracts most visitors to Scotland, so with the right attitude, remoteness can be turned into an asset.
• Gregor Buick is an associate with Murray Beith Murray WS.
