It was great to attend and speak at the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) conference last Thursday, October 10th in Royal Marine Hotel. I was speaking in my capacity as Chairman of Arigna Group, which has the largest operating biochar facility in Europe. The focus of my presentation was the challenges and opportunities of transitioning from coal to a sustainable fuel and carbon sequestration.
Here’s a quick summary of some of the key takeaways from other speakers (first of two posts).
Sean Finan of IrBEA, pointed out that biofuels account for 58% of all renewables across the EU but get far less attention relative to solar and wind. He also emphasised the importance of enforcement of existing regulations with regard to source of feedstock.
Minister Ossian Smyth said Ireland is at the bottom of the EU bioenergy league tables at 5% of total energy versus a European average of 25%. He also said the Renewable Heat Obligation regulations were delayed until the end of the year and revealed that the RHO requirement would be 10% phased in over three years.
Tom Egan of Bord na Móna, gave a presentation on the impressive conversion of the power plant in Edenderry from burning peat to 100% biomass, 80% of which is sourced locally.
David Kelly of Gas Networks Ireland, outlined the enormous potential of biomethane pointing out that currently 2/3 of all gas is used in the generation of electricity. There is a huge opportunity for biomethane to replace this gas. However, significant challenges remain in developing the biomethane industry and long-term operational supports are required to give certainty to producers.
Gert-Jan Nabuurs of Wageningen University & Research, gave a detailed and informative presentation on the role of forests and land in sequestering carbon. The message was that land, and forests are one of the biggest but most uncertain carbon sinks and climate change is significantly impacting the ability of both to sequester carbon.
Paddy Phelan of South East Energy Agency, gave an example of the difficulties experienced in bringing projects to fruition. He highlighted the tension between bringing local communities along the journey while getting things done.
Karen Doyle of Gas Networks Ireland, pointed out that domestic gas use is a relatively small part of current gas demand, and that power generation and large companies are the main users. Her view is that large gas users will use green hydrogen but without a significant wind sector producing cheap energy, there will be no green hydrogen.
John Walsh of ESB, said that their goal was to be net zero by 2040 and the single biggest challenge is to bring the society on the decarbonisation journey.
#biochar #sustainability #renewableenergy #bioenergy #biogas #biomethane #biofuels #circulareconomy #bioeconomy
