IRELAND - A delegation from the Irish Farmers' Association this week made a presentation to the Oireachtas sub-Committee on creating jobs through the use of Renewable Energy Resources.
The sub-Committee is part of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Sean O'Leary, who leads the IFA Project Team on Climate Change, said that IFA has identified an initial 6,000 strategic locations in Ireland, where farmers can establish micro-wind turbines in a non-visually intrusive way.
He said: "These micro-wind turbines have the capacity to drive down on-farm fossil fuel use and to deliver enough electricity to meet the demands of 32,000 households (more than Galway city) each year.
"They would also reduce GHG emissions by over 2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, over the expected service life of the wind turbines. This micro-energy strategy provides a significant opportunity for farmers to consider renewable electric farm machinery into the future."
Mr O'Leary told the Committee a stimulus package was required to maximise opportunities in the micro-energy sector.
Measures required include changes in the planning regulations, an increase in the REFIT tariff to 22c per kWh, the introduction of a double capital allowance tax relief up to a maximum investment of €50,000 in micro-energy for any individual and the introduction of smart and net metering technologies.
The Leader of the IFA Project Team on Renewable Energy JJ Kavanagh said: "Biomass is key to any renewable electricity target and also offers farmers the greatest opportunity.
"To achieve 30 per cent co-firing target alone will demand an estimated 1 million tonnes of biomass per annum."
He said if the 2020, 800 MWe target was to be achieved using specialised energy crops it would demand in excess of 400,000 ha. If these targets are to be reached there needs to be significant increase in biomass resource.
IFA Farm Forestry Chairman Pat Hennessy Ireland currently spends in excess of €20 million per day on imported fossil fuels, with minimal downstream benefit to the economy.
This is no longer acceptable when we have the resource and technology to produce some of our energy requirements and create sustainable, local green collar employment opportunities.
