Power and heat consumption at the site are high (Taurus alone consumes 200,000 kWh of electricity per annum) and are presently being met through a combination of grid electricity, LPG and oil.

The park estates also own several herds of dairy cattle (approx. 450 cattle) located around the estate. The cows spend most of the winter inside and produce a significant amount of slurry that is presently kept in large slurry pit before being spread on the land. The slurry pit near to Taurus Crafts gives an unpleasant odour, especially when filled or emptied, and is seen as off-putting to people eating at the organic restaurant and browsing at the farm shop.

Taurus crafts, together with the park estates, are now considering using the slurry to feed an anaerobic digester. The digester is a large, airless, mixed and warmed vessel that creates the ideal environment for the break down of organic matter into an odour free, methane rich biogas.

This biogas can then be combusted in combined heat and power (CHP) plants that produce electricity and capture the 'waste' heat for use on site. A single 300m3 digester would stand 1.5 metres above the ground with a further 2 metres buried underground. This digester, running at full capacity, will produce 30-35kW electricity and 60kW heat. Half of the heat will be used to keep the digester at the correct temperature (38°C). Potentially the CHP plant could be connected to the National grid so that excess power can be sold as 'green' electricity.

It is expected that the majority of the power will be used in the craft workshops and the heat for the kindergarten and offices. (The restaurant, shop and function rooms already use LPG in a highly efficient under floor heating system). In addition to the energy produced and the reduction in odour from the slurry pits (according to the British Biogen Good Practice Guidelines the digestion process reduces farm slurry odour by up to 80%) anaerobic digestion has a number of further benefits:

• The production of a concentrated fertilizer that can be separated into a liquid and a fibre. The liquid can be spread on to the land in place of chemical fertilizers and the fibre could be used either at the plant nursery or sold by the Craft Centre.
• Slurry from other farms and even food wastes can be added to the digester and 'gate fees' can be charged. This will increase the revenue obtained from the system.
• The digester could present an added attraction to the craft centre; a display board could be erected in front of the system in order to show visitors the amount of power being produced and the tonnage of CO2 emissions avoided.
• Using biogas from AD helps to offset the use of fossil fuels and subsequently reduce the various problems concerned with their use.