Emerald Isle’s grass is key to going greener

IRELAND could transform its environmental record in 10 years by reaping its most plentiful crop — grass.

A collection of work from University College Cork’s Environmental Research Institute has unveiled the potential of green fuels.

It includes powering the Cork City bus fleet from local rubbish, running the country’s trains with animal slurry and producing 15% of our electricity by harvesting a single crop.

The Institute’s principal researcher in bio-mass Dr Jerry Murphy said a decisive stance would dramatically reduce the country’s oil dependency.

He said grass is one of the most lucrative options for production of bio-fuels and bio-gas — which are used in Europe to power cars, generate heat and electricity.

“Grass is a fabulous crop. For a start it can be harvested every year and we get so much more silage per hectare than any other crop.

“And we have an awful lot of grass, we don’t have to plough the land and unlike other crops grass is actually CO2 negative,” he said. Dr Murphy was part of a UCC/Cork Institute of Technology research team which costed the development of bio-crops here. It found 7% of land was suitable for growing Miscanthus (Elephant Grass). This would be enough to provide 15% of the country’s electricity.

Another alternative is Willow which needs more preparation but will grow in the boggy mid-lands.

“There is a lot of work in drying willow but the good thing is that it grows in wet areas. It likes water so it is suited to a lot more areas of Ireland,” he said.

He argued the various crops could produce either ethanol, bio-diesel or bio-gas but a policymakers need to decide the preferred option so there is a strategic understanding from farmers through to car-buyers.

Project manager for bio-mass at Sustainable

Energy Ireland, Pearse Buckley, said electricity is being produced at landfill sites but the country had yet to replicate its successful exploitation of wind-power.

“Long term landfill gas has limited capacity, the landfill directive alone will limit the amount which can be dumped so it is not a major supplier of energy.

“The Government has spoken about targets for bio-fuels in transport but at the current rate of production it will be a challenge,” he said.

Dr Murphy said indecisiveness and a lack of leadership had left Ireland lagging behind.

He said a practical step would be to require builders to provide district hot water plants with housing estates.

These can harness slurry waste, organic rubbish, grass and sewerage to pump hot water directly into houses.

“For example, Moneypoint — the coal fire power plant in Co Clare — generates 800 megawatts of electricity but sends another 200 megawatts of steam up into the atmosphere. That is heat lost but in Europe they use all that heat,” he said.

Mr Buckley said in recent years they have moved to promote wood pellet boilers and is encouraging pilot district hot-water schemes in four apartment blocks.

“We have done work on this but the barrier is awareness, the more people are able to take them, the more it will start to take off,” he said.