energy
April 4, 2022
Circularity in integrated agricultural systems may be key to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions (News)
Intensification and the separation of crops, livestock and forestry production systems in agriculture contributes greatly to climate change and biodiversity loss. A new 1.33 million European funded project, co-ordinated by researchers at the...
February 2, 2022
The Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP, got a vision of climate-positive agriculture and future farming technologies when she visited the James Hutton Institute in Dundee.
Ms Gougeon...
January 1, 2022
The James Hutton Institute has joined Angus Council, Agrico UK, Arbikie Distillery and SoilEssentials Ltd in signing a letter of intent to develop a Centre for Agricultural Sustainable Innovation (CASI) headquartered in Forfar, Angus.
The CASI...
January 1, 2022
Society needs to re-think its relationship with the natural world if we are to avoid the worst consequences of climate change and pandemics, the James Hutton Institute has urged in the 2022 episode of BBC Scotland’s Resolutions programme...
March 3, 2021
The International Barley Hub and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre, two flagship innovation projects supported through a transformational capital investment of £45m by the UK Government and £17m by the Scottish Government via the Tay...
February 2, 2021
The Scottish Society for Crop Research (SSCR), Combinable and Energy Crops sub-committee would like to invite you to join their Winter meeting "Making the Most of Your Soils".
This is a biennial meeting held by the Society to talk...
September 9, 2020
A new review paper by Hutton PhD student Camilla Negri, working alongside colleagues in Italy and China, shows that food waste has significant potential to replace crops in the production of energy and fertilisers through anaerobic digestion....
April 4, 2020
The award-winning film Thank You For The Rain was the focus of the James Hutton Institute’s first ever collective 'online' film screening on the 6th of April, highlighting a range of issues including climate justice, urbanisation...
March 3, 2020
Countries around the world must induce ‘social tipping’ dynamics by introducing far-reaching social and technological changes if they are to successfully decarbonise and prevent the devastating consequences of climate change, an...
November 11, 2019
Understanding and improving the sustainability of agro-ecological farming systems in the EU (Project)
October 10, 2019
Agri-tech centre Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) and farming technology company Liberty Produce have launched the Innovation Hub for Controlled Environment Agriculture (IHCEA) at the James Hutton Institute’s site in Invergowrie near...
June 6, 2019
James Hutton Institute congratulates Intelligent Growth Solutions on achieving £5.4m funding boost (News)
Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, has congratulated the Scottish-based vertical farm technology business Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd (IGS) on attracting £5.4m Series A funding, led by US-based S2G...
April 4, 2019
European citizen renewable energy projects are more diverse now than at any time in the past 50 years, and they are likely to act as incubators for social innovation in all aspects of energy. However, efforts must be made to ensure the...
October 10, 2018
Scientists from the James Hutton Institute have welcomed the launch of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in...
August 8, 2018
Scottish-based agritech business Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd has unveiled its first indoor vertical farming demonstration building at the James Hutton Institute near Dundee. The facility, formally opened by John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire...
May 5, 2018
Scientists from the James Hutton Institute are supporting the Asian Agricultural Long-Term Experiment (ALTER) with the aim of providing scientific basis and management options for soil sequestration and agricultural sustainability in Asia and...
April 4, 2018
Hydro Nation scholar presents research at international water, food, energy and climate conference (News)
A Hydro Nation scholar carrying out research on common challenges across water, energy and food and their connections to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) presented her PhD research during a session on “...
January 1, 2018
The Scottish Society for Crop Research (SSCR) Combinable and Energy Crops Sub-committee will hold its Winter Meeting at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee. The event is open to anyone in the cereals industry and other interested parties. BASIS...
January 1, 2017
The Scottish Society for Crop Research (SSCR) Combinable and Energy Crops Sub-committee will hold its Winter Meeting at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee. The event is open to anyone in the cereals industry and other interested parties. BASIS...
October 10, 2016
Stochastic Anaerobic Digestion Economic Assessment Tool (Research Page)
What is anaerobic digestion?
Anaerobic digestion is a process by which micro-organisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen, leading to the production of biogas and bio-fertilisers. Anaerobic digestion technologies convert...
July 7, 2016
MAGIC takes a fresh look at the Europe’s goals for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and the policies and instruments intended to support these goals. Many issues – including water, energy and food security - are interconnected...
April 4, 2016
An old coal mine in Lanarkshire could soon be springing back into life and once again provide heating for people’s homes thanks to geothermal power. A joint effort by North Lanarkshire Council and the James Hutton Institute hopes to bring a...
March 3, 2016
Is the land-based sector in North East Scotland resilient enough to face future challenges? This question, along with many others, is at the centre of a report commissioned by the North East Scotland Agricultural Advisory Group (NESAAG) and...
January 1, 2016
The Combinable and Energy Crops Committee regret to advise that this meeting has been postponed. A new date will be announced later in the year.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment this might cause to our members....
June 6, 2015
Almost a quarter of a million pounds of funding has been awarded to five feasibility projects across Scotland, including the James Hutton Institute's Hartwood Research Farm in Lanarkshire, to investigate how thermal energy in the ground...
March 3, 2015
Professor Liz Baggs (Head of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen) will give an overview of what we now know about how the contributions of biological and chemical processes to nitrous oxide emission have evolved over time.
Abstract
December 12, 2014
The value of community-owned renewables to local economies was the focus of a presentation made by Professor Deb Roberts from the James Hutton Institute at Community Energy Scotland’s 2014 conference, which was opened by Fergus Ewing,...
October 10, 2014
Soils@Hutton - Soil and Climate Change (Research Page)
Learn more about soils & climate change
June 6, 2014
Understanding Scotland’s hydropower resources (Research Page)
Aim: to establish full understanding of Scotland’s installed hydropower resources and related considerations
We have reviewed and synthesised the current information, knowledge and research that are relevant to hydro-electric power (HEP)...
June 6, 2014
6. Working with stakeholders (Research Page)
Aim: to maintain active engagement with HEP stakeholders and researchers
Our research aims to support sustainable HEP development and therefore needs to be designed and executed in partnership with conservation managers and HEP operators and...
June 6, 2014
5. Governance of small scale schemes (Research Page)
Aim: understand the governance, regulation and economics of small scale run-of-river HEP schemes
We are interested in how economic, regulatory and social issues relate to small scale HEP development and shape the outcome of planning...
June 6, 2014
4. Resilience of Scotland’s hydropower resources (Research Page)
Aim: to establish the resilience of Scotland’s hydropower resources to future water availability
The 2020 Renewable Energy Routemap targets for generation could be affected by environmental change impacts on the hydropower resource in...
June 6, 2014
3. Areas sensitive to cumulative impacts (Research Page)
Aim: to identify areas sensitive to future HEP developments
There is significant potential for cumulative impacts to occur where HEP developments are clustered within a catchment. Our research is identifying the potential areas where ecological...
June 6, 2014
Pressures for change in coastal areas creates a demand for raising the awareness of public and professional audiences of potential impacts on the environment and communities, Visualizations help to communicate the nature of changes which might be...
May 5, 2014
Michael Ferguson (Member of Staff)
Michael graduated from MA Environmental Geography (Hons) from the University of Aberdeen in July 2013. He previously worked at the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso in 2012, investigating the relationship between wind speed and rainfall...
April 4, 2014
Hydropower resources research (Research Page)
Hydropower plays a key role in Scotland’s renewable energy contributions and renewables targets for 2015 (50%) and 2020 (100%). Our research is supporting the sustainable planning, development and management of this resource. We are...
January 1, 2014
Vibrant Rural Communities workshop (Research Page)
A workshop was held at Birnam Arts and Conference Centre on 20 November 2013 to provide an update on research being conducted as part of the Vibrant Rural Communities theme of the Food, Land and People Strategic Research programme, funded by...
January 1, 2014
LandSFACTS downloads (Research Page)
The LandSFACTS software is available in several formats:
with graphical interface, helpfile and tutorial [XP, W7], cf. below
command-line [XP, W7, W7 x64, Linux x64], by request
dynamic libraries [XP, W7, W7 x64, Linux x64], by request...
January 1, 2014
LandSFACTS model details (inputs/outputs) (Research Page)
The LandsFACTS model was originally (v1.6) set up to simulate cropping systems at the landscape scale. Since 2007, it was further developed to allow modelling land uses at multiple scales within an evolving environment. The diagram below presents...
December 12, 2013
The aim of TESS is to investigate the role of community-based transition initiatives in fostering a more low-carbon and sustainable Europe. TESS is a European Union project funded under the Seventh Framework Programme, and...
March 3, 2013
Peatlands provide vital services to society, such as helping to mitigate climate change, providing clean water and supporting biodiversity and tourism, but are currently under threat.
Peatlands are an ideal case study for valuing nature...
March 3, 2013
Chen Wang (Member of Staff)
Dr Chen Wang is a Landscape and Visualisation Scientist, who joined the Information and Computational Sciences group at the James Hutton Institute in 2010.
May 5, 2012
Water and food security (Research Page)
Water shortages and drought are the greatest threats facing global food security. At the James Hutton Institute we use a combination of plant and soil sciences to identify crop traits and crop production systems that can maintain crop yield and...
October 10, 2011
Implications of copper (Cu) on estuarine ecosystem functioning (Research Page)
Many antifouling paints, applied to ships’ hulls and other marine structures, contain copper (Cu) as an active ingredient. As a result many European waterways are becoming increasingly Cu contaminated. This work is investigating the effects...
October 10, 2011
Carbon stocks in salt marshes (Research Page)
Salt marsh occurs in the intertidal zone and has a number of functions including a filter for pollutants, protecting coasts from flooding and providing habitat for a number of salt tolerant species. More recently it has been recognised salt...
October 10, 2011
Carbon cycling (Research Page)
We are collaborating with staff at Oceanlab (Aberdeen University) in a number of projects, mainly involved with carbon cycling, covering both estuaries and the deep sea. This work is fundamental as deep sea sediments cover over half of the earths...