As an agricultural country, Ireland has huge opportunity for the development of the biogas industry to reduce farm fuel costs.
Speaking at a recent conference, Barry Caslin, Teagasc energy and rural development specialist, pointed out that renewable energy operations generally need a lot of land. And while farmers must focus on producing food first, as landowners they must also look at how best to use their assets. What about exporting electricity to the grid? Or releasing land to a developer who can? Caslin suggested considering a biomass boiler as a heat source instead of coal, oil or gas. These are ideal for pigs, poultry, and horticultural sectors.
What’s more, with demand increasing for renewable energy, agriculture could become a large-scale energy generator via renewable biomass. Biomass is anything derived from plant or animal matter, fungi, or algae. This includes wood, straw, energy crops, sewage sludge, waste organic materials, and animal litter.
Speaking to media at the same conference, Seán Finan, chief executive of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) highlighted the potential for Ireland to develop a biogas industry based on waste residues from slurries, farmyard manures, etc. However, he said more must be done to support the policy framework.