Ireland
February 5, 2009
Competition from unfairly
subsidised imports and uncertainty about future support policies
are holding back investment in the further development of the
bioenergy industry in Ireland. Speaking at the National
Bioenergy conference in Horse & Jockey, County Tipperary, today,
Thursday 5 February, Teagasc
researcher Bernard Rice said that the amount of biomass needed
to meet the heating/electricity targets far exceeds current
availability, so production of energy crops needs to expand
rapidly. He also stated that the Biofuels Obligation Scheme and
the National Action Plan need to take account of indigenous
biofuel producers.
The conference, organised by Teagasc in association with
ACCBank, also heard of the long time lag in building up biofuel
capacity, from the establishment of perennial energy crops to
the development of processing facilities, and that action on the
ground needs to begin without delay.
John Gilliland, Rural Generation Ltd, said that the further
development of the bioenergy industry in Ireland will save money
and generate wealth in the rural economy. He pointed to the
benefits of improving Ireland’s energy security position by
increasing the land area used for energy crops. He said that
Ireland exports 80 per cent of its food production and imports
90 per cent of its energy. He continued saying that developing a
bioenergy industry would reduce the carbon footprint of the
agriculture and food sector while allowing it to participate in
the emerging carbon economy.
Hans Van den Boom, Food and Agri sector manager with Rabobank
told the conference that the Rabobank group has set clean
tech/renewable energy as a key strategic sector for the entire
group. He also said that urgent action is needed if targets are
to be met in Ireland.
A simple low-cost ventilation system to store willow chips,
developed at Teagasc Crops Research Centre for use on farms, was
outlined by John Finnan, Teagasc researcher. Research trials at
Oak Park are looking at ten different varieties of willow while
a miscanthus plantation, now in its 14th year, can yield up to
10 tonnes of dry matter per hectare in good years.
The National Bionenergy Conference moves to Carrick-on-Shannon,
in County Leitrim, tomorrow, Friday, 6 February 2009. |
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