Video of the Biogas 3 project

Here is a video explaining the Biogas3 project, it was made by the Spanish partners AINIA View

Project Documents – A report on small scale AD in agro-food companies and the potential barriers

This report gives an overview of the status of small scale AD in the EU and more specifically it surveys each of the partners country. It provides information on the current situation, the market, the barriers and the potential going forward for this biogas model View

€20m pilot for energy efficiency to combat fuel poverty

A €20 million pilot project to improve energy efficiency in the homes of people with acute health conditions is due to commence this month (March), according to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR). It also envisages the future introduction of minimum thermal efficiency standards in rented accommodation. The scheme will be expanded next year to target low-income households with young children. The strategy also heralds a public consultation on proposals to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards for rental accommodation. This would mean that, in time, properties could not be let unless they had a BER certificate above a certain standard. This would not be introduced before 2020, to give time for the property market to stabilise. It would then apply initially to new leases only, and it would be staged, starting with properties with the lowest BER rating. See press release and strategy for download here

GREBE project launch – details and presentations

The EU-funded project ‘Generating Renewable Energy Business Enterprise’ (GREBE) was launched in Ballina, Co Mayo, at the end of February. IrBEA is an associate partner in the project which is led by Western Development Commission and has partners from the North West Periphery Region including Northern Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Iceland and Finland. GREBE aims to equip SMEs and start-ups with the skills and confidence to overcome sector challenges in their areas and use place-based natural assets for renewable energy to sustainable effect. Presentations from the launch and other project detail are available here

2016 IrBEA Bioenergy Conference – View live videos 3/02/16

In response to requests, IrBEA is now providing a click-and-view of the presentations from the National Bioenergy Conference held on 3rd February. Each of the nine speaker presentations are available in full (sound and vision), and this new service for IrBEA members and other interested parties provides more enduring value from our quality speaker line-up.

1. Energy Minister Alex White Speech (Delivered by Eamonn Confrey, DCENR Principal Officer Decarbonisation Policy Division)

2. Eamon McGrath, Gaelectric Chief Commercial Officer (Conference Sponsor) – Turning Policy Into Projects

3. Frank Groome, DCENR Decarbonisation Policy Division – Renewable Support Schemes for Heating and Electricity

4. Dr Cara Augustenborg, Friends of the Earth Ireland – New Climate Change Agenda

5. Prof. Alan Matthews, Trinity College Dublin – Energy Union, Agriculture and Irish Farming

6. Prof. Patricia Thornley, Manchester University/SuperGen Bioenergy Hub – Bioenergy Policy Challenges and Misconceptions

7. Kjell Andersson, Swedish Bioenergy Association (SVEBIO) – How Bioenergy Became The Largest Energy Source in Sweden

8. Finn Mortensen, State of Green – Denmark’s Best Practice Delivering Renewables for Social Benefit

9. David McKee, B9 Energy Group – Anaerobic Digestion in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Scotland’s AD industry grows 69% in a year, forecasting 200% in two years

There are now 27 anaerobic digestion projects operational in Scotland, an increase of 69% from 12 months ago. A further 43 have planning approval, with the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) forecasting that the sector could grow by 200% in the next two years. Stephanie Clark, policy manager at Scottish Renewables, said: “These new ADBA figures show that anaerobic digestion is being taken extremely seriously by Scottish businesses. Increasingly, waste has value. The anaerobic digestion process recognises that, and turns things we don’t want, like food waste and farmyard slurry, into something we desperately need – clean, affordable electricity.” The amount of food thrown away in Scotland each year has fallen by 8% since 2009, while less than half of Scotland’s household waste was sent to landfill in 2014. More here