Using Carbon Neutral Biomass to Reduce Farm Fuel Costs - Workshop

29 April 2022 29 April 2022 AgroFossilFree (AFF) Workshop on burning carbon neutral biomass to reduce farm fuel costs

Agriculture is not only an enormous energy consumer, the industry also has the potential to become a large-scale energy generator from a range of renewable sources. The AgroFossilFree project is running an in-person workshop ‘Understanding barriers and enablers to growing and upscaling production of biomass for combustion.

The general shift away from fossil fuels is creating demand for all forms of renewable inputs, and biomass crops are one of those. Along with the cheaper cost of wood chip or pellets, farmers with a high heat demand in their businesses can also benefit from government subsidy support for biomass. This workshop, chaired by Tom Houlihan, Teagasc Forestry Specialist, will clarify how farmers can improve their margins by cutting energy costs through biomass heating.

Agenda:

• Biomass Opportunities for Irish Agriculture
  Barry Caslin – Teagasc
• Utilising Biomass with a Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH)
  Ray Langton – Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
• Enabling Irish Negative Emissions: Sustainable Energy Crop Supply Chains
  Alan Fox – Shamrock Renewables
• Biomass Boiler technological Developments and improved emissions performance
  Ger Crosse – Woodco Energy
• Strategies for Sustainable Biomass Supply Chains
  Sean Finan, Irish Bioenergy Association
• Biomass Heat in the Mushroom Industry
  Leslie Codd – Managing Director - Codd Mushrooms
• Biomass Heat in Poultry
  Nigel Sweetman – Poultry Farmer and IFA Poultry Chair