BENI host Brash processing demonstration at Shanes Castle Estate – 17/06/2016

Biomass Energy Northern Ireland (BENI) held a brash chipping demonstration recently at Shanes Castle Estate, Co. Antrim. The event was organised by one of its members from the local area, Glendale Tree services, Randalstown. The event was held for anyone actively involved or interested in the biomass sector, showcasing a very informative day and a great networking opportunity for those involved within the sector. Read more

Ireland generates 25% of its energy from renewables – SEAI reports

A quarter of all electricity used in Ireland was generated from renewable energy sources last year. That helped avoid three million tonnes of fossil-fuel related CO2 emissions, according to latest figures from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). It was the second largest source of electricity in 2015 behind gas and ahead of coal. More than 80% of green power came from wind turbines while the rest came from a range of technologies including hydropower, biomass, waste and landfill gas. Dr Eimear Cotter, SEAI Head of Low Carbon Technologies said: “Ireland is making significant progress in decarbonising our electricity system. “We know that renewables in electricity generation helps to lower CO2 emissions but we still have an electricity system that is heavily reliant on carbon emitting fossil fuels. With 2020 renewable electricity targets approaching, we need to intensify action to increase the contribution of all renewables in our electricity mix.” View SEAI media release

AEBIOM interviews Irish Partners

Des O’Toole, Business Development Manager for Coillte and IrBEA committee member was interviewed by the European Biomass Association, read what he would like to see happening in Ireland in terms of bioenergy development. here

Renewable Heat Incentive

IrBEA Renewable Heat Incentive in Ireland Report

The Irish BioEnergy Association’s analysis and proposal for a renewable heat incentive (RHI) was made available in September 2015, an electronic version can be viewed here. The report (and recommendations) has incorporated a strong element of industry consultation and represents a coherent and robust appraisal with industry support. A draft of this final report was distributed to all IrBEA members for consultation in June 2015. A workshop was held in May 2015 where the findings were outlined to 50 IrBEA member organisations and individuals. Separate workshops were held with the IrBEA management committee and the IrBEA Renewable Heat Group. A series of meetings were convened also to engage directly with IrBEA stakeholders.

The report is a response to the ongoing RHI consultation process established by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) following publication of its draft Bioenergy Plan.