The anaerobic digestion plant at Teagasc’s Grange College in Co. Meath is set to begin producing biomethane by the end of this year, buildings officer J. J. Lenehan has said.
Speaking on this week’s episode of Farmland, produced by Agriland Media Group Lenehan said that the biogas plant itself has been constructed and is ready to go, however upgrades must be made to it before it can begin production properly.
These were due to be made in April of this year, however delays mean they will likely be delivered in quarter three of 2022, Lenehan outlined.
“There will be a ramping up stage, with the plant, of about a month, but by the end of the year we will be producing biomethane,” he added.
The digester will be fed with a mix of slurry and silage, the mix of which will vary from season to season. Winter slurry from about 750 animals on the Grange farm will be used, as well as grass silage at 25% dry matter (DM), from approximately 70ha.
According to Lenehan, when the plant is up and running, it will produce about 75m³ of raw biogas and 45m³ of biomethane a day, equivalent to approximately 1,000L of diesel.
He also outlined plans for injection of the biomethane produced into the national grid at Gas Networks Ireland’s injection point in Nurney, Co. Kildare.
The utility provided is eager to bring renewable gas into Ireland’s energy mix, Lenehan told Farmland, but added that Teagasc “will also look at providing biomethane for vehicle fuel for tractors, and trucks”.
Biomethane in Europe
The development of anaerobic digesters and biogas plants in Europe is well established according to Lenehan, with countries such as Denmark and Germany boasting almost 30 years experience.
“Ireland is way behind what’s happening in other countries in terms of technology, very much behind,” he said.
Despite this, Lenehan expects that the trend will pick up in Ireland as research continues to prove the potential of biomethane as a renewable energy source.
“The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland did a study in 2017 that showed that about 25% of Ireland’s gas could come from biogas and biomethane with agriculture being the primary source of those feedstocks.
“Teagasc research has showed that [this] is probably an underestimate of what could happen.”
Focusing on this, Lenehan stated that a model whereby feedstocks are taken from a number of farms to a nearby plant owned by multiple farmers, could become popular in the future.
You can watch the full interview with J.J. Lenehan on Farmland by clicking here.