Dublin, Ireland
September 24, 2008
A new DVD entitled ‘Willow &
Miscanthus – From Field To Furnace’ has been produced by
Teagasc together with
Sustainable Energy Ireland and the Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food. This joint initiative demonstrates to
growers and end users how energy crops such as willow and
miscanthus can contribute to meeting escalating energy demands.
Teagasc Energy crops specialist Barry Caslin said;” ‘Willow &
Miscanthus From Field To Furnace’ describes the agronomy of
these energy crops. It provides clear illustrations and
narration on planting, crop management, harvesting and storage.
The end-use combustion of these biomass energy crops is also
demonstrated in this DVD.”
Pearse Buckley SEI biomass program manager said; “The
development of energy crops is critical to the delivery of
national bioenergy targets as elaborated in the policy document
‘Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland’. By
providing farmers with the tools to support their land use
decisions, this DVD will contribute to the sustainable expansion
of energy crops as a source of renewable energy in Ireland.”
The new DVD is of interest to farmers intending to grow energy
crops and also to energy consumers such as hotels, nursing
homes, hospitals, and leisure centres. It will be compulsive
viewing for owners of buildings with a high heating demand as it
may provide a solution to reduce fuel costs and greenhouse gas
emissions by displacing fossil fuel energy such as coal, oil and
gas with biomass.
Teagasc is actively involved in research in the bioenergy area
and with increasing interest in growing energy crops as a result
of declining margins in other agricultural sectors; this DVD
will provide good practical knowledge on getting energy crops
from the field to the furnace. |
|
