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Bioenergy
2007
- Fuelling Ireland's Future
Presented by COFORD,
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) and Teagasc, Bioenergy 2007 will
take place at Teagasc Oak Park, Carlow on Thursday 30 August.
Over 5000 people are expected to attend this unique
and free event - using the 'Know-How to Show-How' concept
- combining an indoor and outdoor technology and product exhibition,
professional conference, seminar and workshop sessions - together
with site visits, field excursions and practical demonstrations
- all rolled into one comprehensive event.
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Bioenergy 2007 will showcase the use and deployment
of solid biomass and raise awareness across all sectors -
from the land-owner to the end-user.
Growing, harvesting and using wood fuels and energy crop
products to generate heat, electricity and fuel for homes
and businesses, will be clearly demonstrated and explained.
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Background
Ireland's dependency on imported energy has grown to around 90%,
compared with the EU average of 50%. Imported oil remains the dominant
energy source, with a large part of Ireland's power generation and
industrial production critically dependent on gas and oil. With
the continued threat of climate change, the volatility of oil prices
and the need to secure supplies of indigenous energy, consumers
in both the domestic and commercial sectors are looking for less
expensive and more secure sources of energy.
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Bioenergy and wood-based fuels are coming very much to the
fore as a cost-effective solution.
The use of wood fuel for energy generation is a new and growing
sustainable industry, with potential for considerable expansion.
It offers benefits for forest owners and managers, project
developers, consumers, local communities and the environment.
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Biomass has the potential to redirect hundreds of
millions of euro to the Irish economy, create over 4,000 new full-time
jobs in fuel supply and meet up to 10% of our energy needs by 2020.
Ireland has an excellent growing climate for wood
fuel. For example, the productive potential of Irish forestry is
10 cubic metres per hectare per year, compared to 4 in Spain or
Finland. In the past, Ireland has been slow to recognise and develop
the full potential of biomass for energy production. However, that
is changing.
The growing interest in bioenergy is a result of a
change in attitude and policies - moving from just talking about
bioenergy solutions to actually doing something about it. Bioenergy
related projects - from planting of energy crops to heating plants
of every size and form - are making the business headlines on a
daily basis.
| The recent introduction of financial incentives
has been crucial in the stimulation, development, demonstration
and deployment of new bioenergy technologies - e.g. the biomass
harvesting and processing grants of the Forest Service are targeted
at efficient large-scale production of forest biomass. The introduction
of the BioEnergy Scheme and availability of grants for growing
willow and miscanthus has seen almost 1100 hectares
planted by over 140 growers |
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These measures will deliver around 10,000 tonnes of dry biomass to
the marketplace each year.
As a direct result of three support funding programmes,
administered by SEI, namely - the Greener Homes Scheme, the Reheat
Programme and the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Deployment Programme
- the number of home owners and high energy users in the industrial,
commercial, public and community sectors, now experiencing the many
benefits of biomass heating, continues to increase.
Ireland has the potential to develop an indigenous
fuel supply from forestry and wood industry by-product for domestic,
industrial and export markets. Refined fuels - such as wood chips,
pellets and briquettes (processed sawdust) - offer many advantages,
as they are compact, clean and easy to store and have a very high
energy content.
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Investment in wood pellet plants has seen Scandinavian
sawmills reporting a 25% increase in profits. They produce pellets
from what was previously viewed as a waste stream - in fact,
they often paid people to take it away.
Forest residues and other co-products from all parts of the
forestry chain are resources that can be used for energy generation
- in fact, some sawmills in Ireland could have on-site combined
heat power and integrated pellet plant production (CHPP) and
reap considerable financial benefits. |
Austria, Sweden and Finland currently lead the way in using wood fuel.
Entrepreneurs - often groups of local farmers, agri-co-operatives
and individuals - have recognised the potential of biomass and established
a renewable energy package for local communities and businesses. Offering
a one-stop-shop energy approach - where they manage the fuel supply,
planting, harvesting, producing and transporting the fuel - they are
also responsible for supplying and maintaining the wood boilers.
This is a model that is being replicated in Ireland.
With about 16,000 farmers involved in farm forestry, Ireland has
a significant renewable fuel resource. Networks exist and - given
the projected increase in national forest cover from over ten per
cent to 17 per cent by 2030 and a related increase in the availability
of wood residues - there is considerable potential for procurement
of wood fuels from these resources.
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Energy generation schemes using wood fuel range in size from
pellet stoves to heat a single room, to automatic wood-fuelled
boilers heating homes, public and commercial buildings - such
as hospitals, schools, hotels and leisure centres.
Other potential industrial and commercial markets in Ireland
include the food and drink, pharmaceutical and wood processing
sectors, as well as the housing and commercial building sectors.
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The wood heating market in Ireland is witnessing substantial
growth. Ireland has a long tradition in using wood. However, today,
amidst concerns over escalating fuel prices, security of supply,
availability and vulnerability of finite fuel resources, we see
an expanded range of 21st century wood fuels - pellets, chips, briquettes
and log-wood are all particularly well adapted to domestic, commercial
and industrial needs for fuelling Ireland's future.
Bioenergy 2007
Of all the national bioenergy events, Bioenergy 2007 will
be the most important. Why? Well, unlike most other events, Bioenergy
2007 will transform bioenergy visions into reality - the integration
of a professional technology and product exhibition with workshops,
seminars, field visits, study tours and practical demonstrations,
offers visitors a one-stop excursion into the modern world of bioenergy.
Examples of the different themes include -
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Energy from forests |
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Growing and harvesting willow |
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Energy from agriculture - growing and using grain
and miscanthus |
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Small-scale pellet production |
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Wood chip production |
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Quality fire wood production |
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Large and medium-scale pellet/chip use - demonstration
of onsite wood chip/pellet/grain boilers. |
Bioenergy 2007 is an exclusive and attractive marketplace
for suppliers, installers, manufacturers and buyers of products,
equipment, service technology, fuel and technology know-how within
the Irish and international bioenergy sector and offers visitors
the chance to meet the experts and find out more about the latest
in bioenergy innovation.
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The exhibition will be held in a tented village,
centrally located and close to the field demonstrations. Ample
outdoor space, alongside the indoor exhibition, will provide
the perfect opportunity for showcasing and demonstrating various
kinds of activities and many pieces of machinery and equipment
- such as chippers, slash bundlers and other equipment best
suited to outdoor operation. Newly-harvested raw materials will
be available so that chippers, wood crushers and bundlers can
demonstrate their abilities. |
After passing through the many indoor and outdoor exhibition stands,
boilers, stoves, wood chips, briquettes, pellets, sawdust, recycled
wood, logs, slash bundlers, growing willow and miscanthus
will no longer be a mystery.
Some examples of exhibitor categories -
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Boiler suppliers and manufacturers for the domestic
and commercial sectors |
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Stove suppliers |
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Refined wood fuel suppliers and producers - chips,
pellets, briquettes and logs |
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Suppliers of technology combustion & handling
technologies |
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Equipment suppliers |
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Product Distributors |
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Energy Service Contract Companies - ESCOs |
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International Commercial Trade Councils |
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Technical and professional bioenergy consultants |
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Professional organisations |
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R & D organisations. |
During the day a series of seminars and professional conferences
will be presented, covering the following topics -
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Environmental issues (raw materials, by-products
and emissions...) |
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Fuel quality, certification and standardisation
of bioenergy for energy |
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Financial support for bioenergy |
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Biomass potentials (resources, energy crops...) |
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Bioenergy logistics (supply systems, storage of
biomass...) |
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Bioenergy innovations (technology, processes,
small/large scale...) |
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Market development, trends and forecasts |
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Biomass burning technologies (combustion, co-firing,
retrofitting...) |
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Biopower (in industry, CHP or small-scale) |
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The growing pellet sector. |
Bioenergy provides economic growth, a stable and secure energy
supply, employment and technology development that does not come
at the expense of the environment.
Visit Bioenergy 2007 on Thursday, 30 August 2007 to find out
more.
Grant Programmes
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BioEnergy Scheme -
provides establishment grants to encourage the growing of
willow and miscanthus for the production of
biomass suitable for use as a renewable source of energy.
Support is payable on 50% of the approved
costs associated with establishing miscanthus and willow
crops for biomass. The cost of establishment is estimated
at €2,900 per hectare - giving a maximum payment rate
of up to €1,450 per hectare, with the balance to be invested
by the applicant.
For further information - Click
Here
The Greener Homes Scheme - assists
householders to invest in all renewable heating technologies
including -
- Wood Chip or Pellet Stoves - €1100
- Wood Chip or Pellet Stoves with back boiler
- €1800
- Whip Chip or Pellet Boilers - €4200.
For further information - Click
Here
Renewable Heat Deployment Programme (ReHeat)
- provides assistance for the deployment of renewable
heating systems in industrial, commercial, public and community
premises.
Qualifying Renewable Heating Systems - falling
into the following three categories - can receive up to 30%
capital grant -
- Wood Chip or Pellet Boilers
- Solar Hot Water Heating Systems
- Heat Pumps.
For further information - Click
Here
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Deployment
Programme - provides grants of up to 30% of the cost of
installing small-scale fossil fuel CHP plant (50kWe and <
1MWe) and up to 40% of feasibility study costs, to assist
investigation into the application.
Eligible applicants include companies and
organisations in the industrial, commercial, service and public
sector.
A call for proposals for biomass-fired CHP/AD
CHP will be launched shortly and will provide capital grants
of up to 35%. There will be no upper size limit for this call.
For further information - Click
Here
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For further information on the exhibition and Bioenergy
2007, contact -
Paul Dykes
Tel: +353 23 54166
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.sei.ie
To download the full brochure for Bioenergy 2007
- Click
Here
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