The push for Anaerobic Digestion in the agriculture sector

The Energy in Agriculture event took place last week bringing together nearly 3,000 farmers, energy experts and agriculture leaders along with 63 exhibitors to promote and implement renewable energy efforts for the agricultural sector. With Ireland’s National Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2020 (NEEAP) quickly approaching, this event was an excellent opportunity to explore sustainable farming techniques and clean technology and how farmers can adapt them to their own processes. The highlights for this year’s event included practical demonstrations on renewable energy production, innovations showcase aimed to increase efficiency and sustainability on farms and a number of panel discussions and practical presentations.

Denis Naughten, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, kicked off the event recognising how renewable energy will play a crucial role in sustaining the agriculture industry and also keep up with the great demands of farming and energy efficiency targets.

Minister Naughten said, “Renewable energy will have a transformative positive impact in rural areas and will offer new farm diversification opportunities. New schemes such as the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) and the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) will make clear the government’s commitment to long term support of Ireland’s renewable industries. Communities are the very fabric of the new RESS and the scheme will provide pathways and supports for community-led renewable electricity projects.  Energy in Agriculture 2018 provides an ideal platform to highlight the role that renewables and the bio-economy can play in overcoming our energy and sustainability challenges.”

Following the opening speech, Minister Naughten joined a panel discussion on Energy in agriculture along with Barry Caslin, Teagasc energy specialist, Paul Kenny, CEO of Tipperary Energy Agency and Joe Healy from IFA. Joe Healy pointed out the challenges of fodder availability in feeding anaerobic digestion and how we need to look at segregated food and residual waste as alternative feedstock. Tom Short of IFA also lead an anaerobic digestion demonstration utilising a model farm to show the process of bio-waste being turned into biogas for use of heat, CHP and electricity.

Vogelsang Ireland was one of the experts on site to discuss ways of implementing environmentally friendly slurry management and innovative anaerobic digestion technology for efficient fermentation. At the stand there was great interest in anaerobic digestion systems and how agriculture plays a role in renewable gas. Attendees were especially interested in Vogelsang’s PreMix digester feeder, which treats a wide variety of feedstock and turns them into a homogeneous organic suspension. Research shows that feeding the solids in a well-mixed form and cutting long fibrous and coarse matter makes them easily accessible for bacteria and prevents floating and settling layers. In this way, the input materials are used more effectively, which in turn increases the specific gas yield and reduces energy consumption. At the forefront of theanaerobic digestion sector in Ireland, Vogelsang Ireland continuously develops and improves their technology adapting it to ongoing changes to deliver solutions for the efficient biogas production.

Energy in Agriculture concluded with hearing from Irish farmers and how they go about improving efficiencies on farms. And although there is still some uncertainty around some of the schemes like the biomethane grid injection, the event offered awareness of the technologies and action steps for progressing the agri-business.

For more information on biogas solutions for your planned or existing biogas plant in Ireland, contact Vogelang Ireland by e-mail to info@vogelsang.ie or by phone at +353 (0) 91 394 570.