Biogas demand from energy users including farmers looking to reduce their fossil-fuel dependency has been on the rise in recent weeks and months, CEO of the Irish Bioenergy Association (irBEA), Seán Finan has said.
As energy users seek to reduce their carbon emissions, there has been a big shift in recent months as the level of inquiry into renewable gas providers has increased.
Biogas developers and technology providers, including farmers, foresters, and fuel suppliers are ready to deliver biogas, however government policy currently halts the establishment of needed facilities, the CEO said.
Due to a lack of incentives and favourable policy for the bioenergy sector, despite ample capacity in Ireland, Finan said potential developers have been based in other European markets over the last number of years.
“I cannot emphasise enough the urgency around giving market certainty to potential biogas and biomethane plant developers, [in order to ensure them] that there will be supports which will drive forward the industry.
“We need that certainty from the government and Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan – it is his role to provide that certainty,” according to Finan.
IrBEA is calling for a broad renewable energy policy, which recognises all bioenergy technologies and considers the contribution they can make to the energy system in Ireland.
Biogas
While current demand is mainly driven by energy security concerns, the costs of fossil gas, and carbon reduction targets, interest from potential developers, including farmers, has been existent for a long time, Finan said.
Bioenergy is derived from living organisms, either plant or animal, and can take the form of solid biofuels such as firewood, liquid biofuels such as biodiesel, or gaseous biofuels such as biogas and biomethane.
While bioenergy can provide a solution to the energy crisis, which the IrBEA CEO believes will continue into the future, biogas developments have to be built to significantly contribute to Ireland’s electricity share, he said.
“Specifically the bioenergy sector and our members feel as if we haven’t got the recognition as a sector that others have got, as well as the policy support, the incentives and measures.
“Not alone does biomethane and biogas help the agriculture, transport, and heating sectors, and all other sectors, farmers [have the opportunity] to provide feedstocks or build facilities themselves if they have sufficient scale or [high] energy demand requires that,” he said.
Finan added that in terms of the climate crisis, bioenergy developments will have to adhere to sustainability criteria and ensure that feedstock is classified as renewable in line with the EU Renewable Energy Directive.