New biofuel used for the first time

According to a report in the Irish Examiner, JHM Crops and Quinn’s of Baltinglass supplied miscanthus biomass to the national grid for the first time.

This biofuel was then successfully fired with peat at the Bord na Mona power station at Edenderry to generate green electricity.

Joe Hogan, chief executive of JHM Crops, said it was an important day for his company.

He told the paper: “It shows the role miscanthus can play in achieving our carbon reduction targets nationally.

“The fact that it can be burned in an already-existing facility is very encouraging.”

Currently, Edenderry Power Station burns one million tonnes of peat annually. However, it aims to switch to 30% renewable sources by 2015.

It is thought that miscanthus biomass could play an important role in green energy production because it offers high return from very low labour input and is exceptionally easy to maintain.

James Cooper