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‘’Climate Change And You’’

‘’Climate Change And You’’. Potential of Bioenergy Wednesday April 21 st 2010 Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford Barry Caslin, Teagasc Bioenergy Specialist barry.caslin@teagasc.ie. Teagasc Research. Energy Crop Agronomy Bioremediation Harvesting & Processing Combustion

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‘’Climate Change And You’’

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  1. ‘’Climate Change And You’’ Potential of Bioenergy Wednesday April 21st 2010 Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford Barry Caslin, Teagasc Bioenergy Specialist barry.caslin@teagasc.ie

  2. Teagasc Research • Energy Crop Agronomy • Bioremediation • Harvesting & Processing • Combustion • Anaerobic Digestion • Combined Heat and Power • GHG mitigation and LCA

  3. Policy background • Bioenergy Action Plan 4th March 2007 • Energy White Paper 12th March 2007 (Policy Framework 2007 - 2020). • National Climate Change Strategy 2007 – 2012 (April 2007)

  4. Irish Bioenergy Action Plan - Agriculture • €6m energy crops • EU energy payment €45/ha (2007-09) • National top-up €80/ha (2007 – 09) • €1.2m wood energy harvesting grant • Encourage afforestation – FEPS • Develop forest wood energy supply chain • Fund research

  5. Current Development • Solid Biofuels - Wood residues as fire-logs, chips, pellets and briquettes - Energy crops planted • Five Small farm scale biogas plants • Small amount of ethanol from whey • Two biodiesel plants and four PPO crushing plants.

  6. Historic support • Short term support policy: - Biofuels MOTR - Greener Homes Scheme - Bioheat and Reheat Programmes - VRT rebate on FFV’s and hybrids

  7. Present issues • Profitability for farmer and processor. • Existing supports do not bridge the gap between biofuels and fossil fuels. • Technological maturity is not an issue. • Environmental concerns – biofuels displacing natural vegetation in tropical countries. • Energy imports exceed the total value of agricultural production.

  8. Solid Biofuels • Willow • Miscanthus • Hemp • Reed Canary Grass • Grain • Others?

  9. Miscanthus Perennial crop, indefinite life High establishment cost Low cost to maintain, harvest and dry Analysis over life-span essential

  10. Potential uses for Miscanthus • Animal bedding (mainly horses) • Pellet fuel for small boilers and stoves • Big bale boiler • Boiler for chopped Miscanthus • Peat-burning power station

  11. Energy in 1 ha Miscanthus • 1 tonne (1145 L) of oil = 42 GJ • 1 tonne of Miscanthus @ 20%m = 13.7 GJ • 1 ha of Mis @ 20% = 12.5 tonne per annum • 12.5 t x 13.7 GJ = 171 GJ/ha • 1 ha = 171/42 = 4.07 tonne or 4,660 L of Oil.

  12. Carbon in Ireland • LUC to forestry offsets 1.5m tonnes of CO2 per annum. • Kyoto 2002/358 EC 13% above 1990. • Currently 25% above 1990 (7 m t CO2 eq) • Ag emissions have decreased 7.7% relative to 1990. • EU 20/20/2020 relative to 1990 or 14.2% relative to 2005. (Burden sharing GDP) • Ireland must reduce emissions by 20% from Non ETS sectors compared to 2005 levels.

  13. Biomass role in GHG mitigation • Displacement of GHG in C recycling • Soil C sequestration • Mitigation of NoX Effect of GHG on LUC • Reduced fertiliser inputs • Extend CO2 into root biomass • Less inputs associated with cultivation

  14. Carbon: Arable to Energy Crop • Taking C input into account conversion of arable to miscanthus sequesters: 2.8 – 4.1 t CO2 per annum. • Arable to Willow sequesters: 1.8 - 2.7 t CO2 per annum. Below ground biomass root/rhizome would add 0.5t/ha

  15. Carbon: Pasture to Energy Crop • No impact on C sequestration using IPCC tier 1 methodologies. • Losses of 2 – 4t/ha ploughing • Recent measurements 20 – 100 kg CO2 /ha. (minimising fallow period). Possibility to minimise to 1 t CO2 ha. • Emissions are 100-200% higher on heavier soils compared to sandy. • Displacing cattle would increase benefits range from 4 – 10 t CO2 eq/ha.

  16. Future issues & policy instruments • Could farmers be credited with the GHG sink value of the crop? • GHG reductions associated with: C sequestration, animal displacement or fertiliser reduction can be credited to Agriculture. Issues remain on which sector gains the credit for biomass displacement of fossil fuels. • Considerable research is needed on crop establishment, nutrient requirement and GHG inventories.

  17. Energy crops: Willow • High yield • High establishment cost • Easy to maintain • Specialist harvester needed • Drying needed • Bulky for transport • Burns very well

  18. PPO from Oilseed Rape • Pure Plant Oil has energy value of 36 GJ / tonne or 32.76 MJ/litre • Diesel has an energy value of 43.34 GJ/ tonne or 36.8 MJ/Litre. • 1 litre of PPO has 89% of the energy of 1litre of Diesel.

  19. Pure Plant Oil (PPO) • Excise relief – 7,000t PPO MOTR 2 MOTR has capped PPO production Given good support policies 20,000t by 2020 would be a reasonable expectation

  20. Yields – 1 litre ethanol = 24 MJ

  21. Ethanol • Four proposals received MOTR excise relief (300 million litres) • Most will be imported • Ethanol needs to be large scale • Long term support needed • Constraint on use of bio-alcohol • Obligation system sensitive to needs of producers needed.

  22. Anaerobic digestion - CHP Anaerobic digestion is not economically viable. High rate of adoption is possible in pig sector Maize, Whole Crop Cereals, animal manures, Grass.

  23. Hemp • Lo input • Annual, spring sown • Fibre & Dual Hemp varieties • Licence required to grow it • Fibre production needs to be within feasible distance.

  24. Reed Canary Grass • Grows on the marginal type soils • Weed control essential • Harvest using conventional machinery • Markets: Power plant (Electricity) Pellets (Heat)

  25. The Irish Land Resource 2009 Total Land Area 6.9m ha

  26. Land required to meet 10% biofuel For 10% substitution Ethanol for petrol 86,149 ha beet or 129,570 ha wheat For 10% Biodiesel/PPO for Diesel 314,000 ha of OSR Rotation 1 every 4 years = 1.25m hectares.

  27. Energy Crops can and will deliver: Climate Change Mitigation Schedulable Renewable Energy Generation Sustainable Waste Management Wealth Generation for Farmers Reconnect Farmers with the Wider Public

  28. Thank you for your attention! Barry Caslin Teagasc Oakpark Carlow barry.caslin@teagasc.ie

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