SHARING OPTIONS:
From left: Des O’Toole, Coillte and president of IrBEA; Hildegarde Naughton TD, chair of the Oireachtas committee on climate action; and Seán Finan, IrBEA chief executive.
To get a handle on what the bioenergy industry wants, the
Irish Farmers Journal sat down with former Macra na Feirme president Seán Finan, who is CEO of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA), to see what is in the new roadmap.
JK: What is the Irish Bioenergy Association? Who funds it and what’s the role of the association?
SF: The IrBEA, established in 1999, is the representative association for the bioenergy industry on the island of Ireland covering the bioenergy sectors of biomass, biogas, biofuels, energy crops, wood fuels and biochar.
May 6, 2021 5:49 pm
Renewable Energy Ireland (REI) has today (Thursday, May 6) published ‘40by30’, a roadmap to an Ireland where 40% of heat can come from renewables by 2030.
According to REI, this would reduce Ireland’s CO2 emissions by 7% annually, in line with the climate bill.
40% of Ireland’s heat can be provided by renewables
This plan was developed by XD Consulting on behalf of REI and with the advice of organisations working in district heating, bioenergy, heat pumps, renewable gas and geothermal.
The plan outlines that 40% of Ireland’s heat can be provided by renewable sources primarily from bioenergy, heat pumps, renewable gas and district heating networks.
A former director for renewable energy at the European Commission and one of country s best-known climatologists have been appointed to the new Climate Change Advisory Council.
Marie Donnelly, who drove clean energy and energy efficiency initiatives at the Commission, and currently chair of Renewable Energy Ireland, will become the new chair of the council.
Professor Peter Thorne, director of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units group at Maynooth University joins her as a new member.
Outgoing chair, economist Professor John FitzGerald, is to remain on as an ordinary member.
Climate Action Minister Eamon Ryan has made the appointments in advance of the formation of the new council which will only be formally established when the new Climate Bill is enacted.