project - EIP-AGRI Operational Group
Small Biogas Demonstration Programme (SBDP)
Small Biogas Demonstration Programme (SBDP)
Objectives
This project aims to stimulate the deployment of innovative on-farm small-scale biogas production by providing support and a capital contribution to three demonstration projects. Research will assist in understanding how biogas can drive sustainability improvements at farm level. This project will pursue the following objectives:
-Develop the capacity of technology providers in delivery of farm-scale biogas production.
-Demonstrate compliance with sustainability criteria in the context of the EU renewable energy directive.
-Raise awareness amongst the farming community of the increasing challenges of addressing climate change.
-Demonstrate that the results are widely deployable.
Objectives
This project aims to stimulate the deployment of innovative on-farm small-scale biogas production by providing support and a capital contribution to three demonstration projects. Research will assist in understanding how biogas can drive sustainability improvements at farm level. This project will pursue the following objectives:
-Develop the capacity of technology providers in delivery of farm-scale biogas production.
-Demonstrate compliance with sustainability criteria in the context of the EU renewable energy directive.
-Raise awareness amongst the farming community of the increasing challenges of addressing climate change.
-Demonstrate that the results are widely deployable.
Activities
- Provide support and a capital contribution to three farm scale biogas demonstration projects.
- Demonstrate the potential for deployment of small-scale biogas production at a farm level.
- Characterise a subset of individual farm enterprises in the Midlands region in terms of AD feedstock storage and seasonality as well as capacity to accept digestate.
- Use case study research data from the demonstration projects to understand the reduction in farm greenhouse gas emissions from deploying biogas in a closed loop system on the farm.
- Assess the contribution to soil nutrient requirements of digestate, improved water quality in farm environments and the improvement in the energy balance on the farm.
Activities
- Provide support and a capital contribution to three farm scale biogas demonstration projects.
- Demonstrate the potential for deployment of small-scale biogas production at a farm level.
- Characterise a subset of individual farm enterprises in the Midlands region in terms of AD feedstock storage and seasonality as well as capacity to accept digestate.
- Use case study research data from the demonstration projects to understand the reduction in farm greenhouse gas emissions from deploying biogas in a closed loop system on the farm.
- Assess the contribution to soil nutrient requirements of digestate, improved water quality in farm environments and the improvement in the energy balance on the farm.
Kontext
Irish Agricultural is experiencing significant intensification particularly in dairying and following significant recent intensification in pigs and poultry. There is a need for agriculture to reduce its emissions impact on the local global environment (principally carbon emissions). Recent EPA reports on freshwater quality highlight that agriculture is of the main culprits for deteriorating water quality. Irish agriculture is making strides to reduce its impact through initiatives like Origin Green and Dairy Sustainability Ireland, however there is a need for specific tools to assist in this goal. Small scale biogas is seen as one potential tool to reduce environmental impact.
In recent years, following requests and submissions by the Irish BioEnergy Association, the Department of Agriculture have issued licencing arrangements for on farm digesters that are subject to far less regulation than industrial digesters.
Additional comments
The project partners hope that this project will assist in developing biogas technological knowhow in Ireland. It is envisaged that this project through the demonstration farms will ultimately leading to wider scale adoption of biogas technology in Ireland. It is hoped that the project will serve as a template and testbed for future support mechanisms that will allow the biogas technology users be rewarded for the positive environmental impacts achieved by biogas.
Additional information
Expected results and practical recommendations:
-Provide support and capital contribution for 3 innovative farm-scale demonstration projects.
-Carry out a number of on-farm assessments within a midlands AD farmer-led collaboration.
-Demonstrate sustainability improvement where biogas is implemented across a range of farm indicators including nutrient uptake, soil fertility and overall farm carbon footprint.
-Have at least 200 farmers participate in regional workshops and other stakeholder events.
-Support awareness among the farming community of the increasing challenges agriculture faces in relation to climate change and how biogas can be part of the solution.
Ensure project results are widely applicable and deployable in every region of the country and every type of farm enterprise.
Project details
- Main funding source
- Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups
- Rural Development Programme
- 2014IE06RDNP001 Ireland - Rural Development Programme (National)
Ort
- Main geographical location
- Midland
- Other geographical location
- Mid-West
€ 994272
Total budget
Total contributions from EAFRD, national co-financing, additional national financing and other financing.
Project keyword
- Aquaculture
- Arable crops
- Organic farming
- Agro-ecology
- Crop rotation/crop diversification/dual-purpose or mixed cropping
- Landscape/land management
- Soil
- Water
- Climate change (incl. GHG reduction, adaptation and mitigation, and other air related issues)
- Energy
- Circular economy, incl. waste, by-products and residues
- Supply chain, marketing and consumption
- Competitiveness/new business models
- Farm diversification
1 Practice Abstracts
Biogas presents a great opportunity for direct on-farm action to reduce the climate change impact related to agriculture. There are also many environmental and practical benefits. Biogas production is not widely deployed in Ireland, despite Anaerobic digestion being a commercially available technology, with many thousands of successful installations internationally. The handful of biogas production projects in Ireland, tend to be medium to large scale plants, which process a high proportion of non-farm waste and produce electricity for export to the grid under a feed-in-tariff. Farm-scale biogas projects tend to be smaller in size (<100kW or equivalent gas output) and do not import any off-farm waste. The deployment of Biogas at farm-scale has proved challenging in Ireland. There are many barriers to overcome, including knowledge-gaps, and availability of cost-effective solutions at smaller scale, availability of feedstocks and use for the biogas. There has also been a lack of non-electricity routes to market for biogas. Ireland is starting from a very low base in terms of innovation in deploying small-scale biogas in the agri-sector.
This project aims to support the demonstration and deployment of innovative on-farm small-scale biogas production by providing support and capital contribution for three farm-scale demonstration projects.
Biogas presents a great opportunity for direct on-farm action to reduce the climate change impact related to agriculture. There are also many environmental and practical benefits. Biogas production is not widely deployed in Ireland, despite Anaerobic digestion being a commercially available technology, with many thousands of successful installations internationally. The handful of biogas production projects in Ireland, tend to be medium to large scale plants, which process a high proportion of non-farm waste and produce electricity for export to the grid under a feed-in-tariff. Farm-scale biogas projects tend to be smaller in size (<100kW or equivalent gas output) and do not import any off-farm waste. The deployment of Biogas at farm-scale has proved challenging in Ireland. There are many barriers to overcome, including knowledge-gaps, and availability of cost-effective solutions at smaller scale, availability of feedstocks and use for the biogas. There has also been a lack of non-electricity routes to market for biogas. Ireland is starting from a very low base in terms of innovation in deploying small-scale biogas in the agri-sector.
This project aims to support the demonstration and deployment of innovative on-farm small-scale biogas production by providing support and capital contribution for three farm-scale demonstration projects.
Contacts
Project coordinator
-
IrBEA Ltd
Project coordinator
Project partners
-
Hayes Farm
Project partner
-
Laois Partnership Company
Project partner
-
Teagasc
Project partner