IFA: Thousands of rural jobs could be created in renewable energy

THOUSANDS of rural jobs can be created in renewable energy if the Government puts the right policies in place, IFA president John Bryan said.

Launching IFA’s renewable energy policy in Kildare, Mr Bryan said the Government should create a dedicated Green Renewable Energy Unit to harness the sector’s job-creating potential. This unit would co-ordinate the activities of the four Government Departments, the five state agencies and all of the diverse private stakeholders in the sector.

Mr Bryan said: “There are tremendous opportunities for the renewable energy and agriculture sectors to combine forces to achieve the 2020 Renewable Energy Directive targets. Farmland can be used for wind production without impacting on agricultural yields, and crops and by-products can be used as a source of power, heat and gas generation.