Indigenous biomethane is an “untapped resource that can reduce emissions in transport by one million tonnes, while advancing emissions reduction in both agriculture and land use”, according to a report from the Irish Bioenergy Association (IRBEA).
And Ireland’s agricultural industry provides a strong platform upon which to build an indigenous biomethane industry, the report found.
Published recently, the report hones in on the transport industry, its environmental impact, and the role of biofuels in decarbonising the industry and helping Ireland achieve its climate targets.
It outlines how a combination of policy interventions and measures – electrification, increased biofuels blending, biomethane, and driver efficiencies – can help Ireland to achieve a 51% cut in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.
While focusing on transport, the report also references the impact on rural life and agriculture that a sustainable bioenergy industry can have.
Transport is Ireland’s largest source of energy-related emissions with forecasts of continued increases in distances travelled and goods carried in the period to 2030.
Transport accounts for 20% of our overall GHGs but through a combination of electric vehicles; hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO) – these dilute the carbon in fossil fuels; indigenous biomethane; and biofuel blend rates, from now until 2030, this percentage can be greatly reduced.
According to the report, targeting 5TWh of indigenous biomethane production for use in heavy transport would avoid approximately 1 million tonnes of carbon.
The biomethane industry required to meet this target would contribute to rural employment and offer options to farming families to diversify incomes for those in the lower-income sectors, according to the report.
Additionally, the policies that encourage sustainable biomethane production with the displacement of livestock would have limited impact in terms of land-use change.
Agriculture’s role
The report stated that increasing bioenergy production introduces risks that need to be managed. To ensure that it remains sustainable, it is essential to maintain carbon cycles, protect biodiversity, and minimise indirect land-use changes.
“In this regard, Ireland should play to its strength as a country with an active ecosystem ideal for grass growth and an agricultural industry that has wastes that need processing.”
This provides a strong starting platform for an indigenous biomethane industry in Ireland, according to the report.
The report continued:
“This would offer benefits for Irish farmers and its [biomethane] production and distribution can help to decarbonise Irish agriculture.”
However, the report points out that a reduction in GHGs from sustainable bioenergy produced on Irish farms is attributed to the end-use sector where the fuel is used, which can create a disincentive for the agricultural sector, and this should be addressed.
It added:
“Unused or underused wastes and residues from farming and grassland can be mobilised to generate additional income for farming families, especially in less advantaged areas.
“The creation of a market in grass/silage/hay/straw in Ireland would emerge, in the same manner as deployment of large ethanol plants have stabilised the market for maize across Europe, with major benefits to the farming communities there.”