Green Blog

To frack or not to frack – that is the question.

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:54:00 GMT

There has been some publicity in recent times about the prospects of finding commercial deposits of shale gas in Ireland. These hydrocarbon deposits, in fine-grained sedimentary rock, have been hailed in the USA as a major new source of fossil fuel and they have been extracted in growing quantities over the past few years there. The method of extraction involves fracturing or cracking the rock deep underground to release the gas for extraction and this process is commonly known as fracking.

The fracking is achieved using a combination of chemicals and water and this raises an immediate environmental concern as the chemicals are pumped underground and cannot be contained. There have already been several accidents in the USA from leaks and spillages and methane gas has migrated up from the shale deposits to pollute groundwater and create a risk of explosion at the surface. Several examples of tap water being ignited can be found on the Internet.

Two recent developments concerning fracking in Europe are relevant and worthy of consideration. The first is a statement from Karl Falkenberg, Head of the EU Environment Directorate, which stated that none of the chemicals used in this process are registered under the EU regulations on the safe use of dangerous chemicals (REACH). The methods of extracting this shale gas must be solidly assessed according to Mr Falkenberg and the chemicals used must be known and approved prior to use. In the USA shale gas extractors do not have to reveal the chemicals that they use in the fracking process.

The second important development in Europe is a report presented last week to the European Parliament on the impacts of shale gas and shale oil extraction on the environment and human health. The bottom line of this report states that it is not worth extracting shale gas in Europe given the environmental risks and damage done by hydraulic fracturing. Essentially the report finds that the downsides outweigh the potential benefits of the EU's limited shale gas reserves.

There are several strong findings and recommendations in the report including that there are major gaps in the regulation of this industry, thresholds for environmental impact assessments are set too high and consideration should be given for a new EU directive to cover all aspects of this industry because of the complex nature of the risks to the environment and to human health. The report was compiled by the consultancy firm LBST and the Wuppertal Institute and can be found at:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/envi/dv/shale_gas_pe464_425_final_/shale_gas_pe464_425_final_en.pdf

Energy in the European Union.

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:40:00 GMT

The European Commission has recently published a communication on EU energy policy that makes interesting reading. The document discusses where the EU fits in the global energy market, the security of energy supply and related issues such as climate change and energy safety.

The overall objective of the EU’s energy policy is to ensure safe, secure, affordable and sustainable energy supplies. The global demand for energy is, however, changing rapidly with demand from China and India making a significant impact. Globally it is estimated that demand will increase by one third between 2008 and 2035, while the EU demand will remain static, and the demand in both China and India is expected to double. Energy demand in the Middle East is expected to increase by 70% in the same period.

Growth of this magnitude is bound to put pressure on the security of energy supplies to the EU. At the moment the EU imports about half of all its energy needs from third countries and is the world’s largest energy importer when compared to other regions as the table below shows. At present trends the EU will import 70% of its entire energy needs by 2030.

Top energy importing countries and regions, 2008

Country	Exports (ktoe)	Imports (ktoe)	Net Imports (ktoe)
EU27	-482,554	1,495,097	1,012,543
USA	-167,141	798,737	631,596
Japan	-20,204	435,899	415,695
China	-67,930	278,355	210,425
India	-40,070	197,958	157,888

Source: International Energy Agency

Europe is lucky in so far as it is close to major energy sources for some fuels. Approximately 85% of natural gas and 50% of crude oil imports into the EU come from nearby Russia, Norway and Algeria. About 60% of all coal used is produced in the EU and 27% comes from Russia. The remainder, however, comes from as far away as South Africa, Australia, Colombia and America. Practically all of the natural uranium used in the EU is imported.

The EU’s heavy reliance on imported energy, combined with the overall growth in global energy demand, is bound to lead to price fluctuations and disruptions to energy supply. To minimize the risks, the communication discusses the need to invest in energy production and in the infrastructure required to move energy around – both within the EU and between the EU and the sources of supply. This includes the development of a Southern energy corridor between the EU and the Caspian/Middle East Basin as well as upgrading the Eastern corridor which links the EU to Russia through Belarus and Ukraine. Developing, and linking to, solar power in North Africa is also discussed.

According to the International Energy Agency, last year has seen the highest level of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide and the predicted increase in carbon intensive energy in future years will lead to accelerated climate change. Some countries are improving energy efficiency but globally there is little change. The communication states that there is an urgent need for global action on resource efficiency and low carbon energy solutions with demand for renewable energy predicted to triple in the next decade.

Ireland is well positioned to capitalize on this growing threat to the EU’s energy needs. We have the potential to satisfy all of our own energy needs from renewable sources and to export renewable energy to the EU. Our wind potential, combined with pumped storage, can guarantee this form of renewable energy regardless of wind conditions. We can reduce or eliminate the six billion euro bill that we pay each year for imported fuel and can gain additional revenue from the sale of our energy to other countries.

The Communication from the EU can be accessed at http://ec.europa.eu/energy/international/security_of_supply/doc/sec_2011_1022.pdf

Changes at Greenquest.ie

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:06:00 GMT

Thanks to the kind readers of this blog who enquired about the absence of new blog posts over the past few months. The author has been diverted on other fronts over the summer months but is determined to get back to regular communications from now on.

This website (www.greenquest.ie) has undergone significant changes since the early part of 2011. The most significant change is the ending of the monthly quiz with prizes. This is due to the drop in sponsorship brought about by the general economic downturn. The website has always operated on a pro-bono, not-for-profit basis and all sponsorship was given out as prizes, apart from the money paid to the web host. There is just sufficient funding this year to keep the site open so the quiz and prizes were dropped and the environmental theme pages and an occasional blog were maintained.

The economic downturn has, to some extent, pushed environmental issues off the current affairs agenda. This is understandable as people worry about job losses, dole queues, emigration, negative equity and mortgage repayments. Politicians and economic commentators worry about a double dip recession and talk about the need to return to economic growth.

Global growth in a world of finite resources is difficult to sustain indefinitely, especially in a world where population figures are predicted to pass the 7 billion mark by the end of this year. Climate change and peak oil can only exacerbate the problem. At present millions are starving in Somalia, and Texas is experiencing one of the worst droughts since records began.

The economic collapse in Ireland should be used as a springboard for development that is truly sustainable. Long term sustainable development is built on three pillars; economic, social and environmental. Ireland has strong social cohesion and a magnificent environment. By leveraging these two pillars we can develop the economy along sustainable lines that will not go through cycles of boom and bust but will be steady and sustained. Exploiting our renewable energy potential, especially wind and pumped storage, should be a priority.

The need remains to raise environmental awareness, particularly in these tough economic times. This website was established to make a small contribution to that need with the tag line 'Engage, Inform and Inspire' . While we can no longer engage people through the offer of monthly prizes we hope that the many hundreds who log on each week will continue to do so.

World Environment Day

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:44:00 GMT

The United Nations has designated 5 June as World Environment Day (WED) with a special emphasis on forests. The theme is ‘Forests: Nature at your service’ to highlight the environmental, economic and social roles played by the world’s forests. India is the host nation for WED 2011 and there are many events planned to raise awareness of the damage done through deforestation and of the need to manage forests in a sustainable way.

About 30% of the land on earth is covered by forests. Across the world humans are cutting down forests at an estimated rate of 13 million hectares per year - that’s over 32 million acres of trees disappearing each year. The impact of this rate of deforestation is not just habitat loss. Trees act as carbon sinks and absorb the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, from the atmosphere. There is more carbon stored in forests than in the entire atmosphere and when trees are cut down to make way for farmland that stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The United Nations stated, in their latest assessment report, that reducing or preventing deforestation would have the largest and most immediate impact on climate change in the short term.

Forests are also the most diverse ecosystems on land, because they hold the vast majority of the world's terrestrial species and rain forests are among the oldest ecosystems on Earth. Only a fraction of known species has been examined for potential medicinal, agricultural or industrial value and many are lost to extinction before they can be investigated.

For more information on WED 2011 have a look at http://www.unep.org/wed/

Here in Ireland the Environmental Protection Agency has organized a competition on Twitter to mark WED 2011. The public are asked to follow the EPA on Twitter and, using the hashtag #WEDIreland, send a tweet advising on a positive action they can take on World Environment Day to help protect the environment. The competition is open until noon on Wednesday next 8 June and the prize for the best entry is a hotel break in one of Ireland’s Green Hotels to the value of 250 euro.

See http://www.epa.ie/news/pr/2011/name,30968,en.html for more details.

Green Energy BizCamp

Wed, 11 May 2011 20:00:00 GMT

Green Energy BizCamp is an event being organised in Kilkenny by the Carlow Kilkenny Energy Agency and the Kilkenny Leader Partnership to promote businesses ideas / innovation and job creation in the Green Energy Sector. The camp is an information sharing event where experienced entrepreneurs and businesses network and share experiences on developing business ideas & products.

BizCamps have been run successfully at various locations around Ireland and last year saw Kilkenny host Ireland’s first ever FoodCamp and WordCamp. These Camps are modeled on the idea of having all of the information of a normal conference but with the added value of greater networking opportunities and without the costs and strict agenda associated traditional conferences.

This will be the first ever Renewable Energy Camp to be run in Ireland and is free for those attending or speaking. The date is 27^th May and the venue is the Hotel Kilkenny which is on the city’s ring road. It offers an ideal opportunity to explore the business opportunities in this sector and participate in a panel discussion.

Speakers
The day is subdivided into 18 slots of 45 minutes each (3 concurrent sessions) where speakers are required to participate and present on a topic of their choice. All speakers are voluntary, share experiences and do not attempt a sales pitch.

At present the agreed speakers include

Michael Prendergast – kilkennycereals.killure.ie
How the Governments pursuit of its renewable energy targets lead to decisions which decimated indigenous Irish renewable businesses in favour of imports.

Tom McEvoy, Lisdowney Wind Farm
Developing a windfarm project – from start to 80% completion.

Joe Heron, www.murrayconsult.ie
Community consultation on Green Energy ptojects.

Tommy Cooke, Renewable Energy Developer
Challenges in setting up an Anaerobic Digestion project.

Peter Kerry – www.carboncandc.com
International standard ISO 14064 for carbon management and brief overview of the EU mandatory emissions trading scheme.

Niall McManus, www.cosain.ie
Using of carbon credits in generating income to match LEADER funds for renewable energy projects.

Frank Gethings – www.EcoEvolution.ie
Archimedean Screw – hydro turbine overview.

Sean Ganley – www.cfgreenenergy.com
Wind turbine space in Ireland for farm, business and home owners.

Dr Edward O’Gorman – www.patentnav.eu
Overview of patents and trade marks in renewable energy area.

Simon Jones – www.aereco.ie
Business development opportunities in each area of renewable energy.

Panelists
There will be a panel discussion in the afternoon to finish off the day. The topic for the panel discussion is “Job Creation & Opportunities in the Green Energy Sector”.

The Panelists confirmed so far are:

Nick McGrath
Nick is the founder of Hybrid Energy who recently closed a successful €800,000 funding round for the provision of reliable, cost effective, and easy to maintain power solutions for off-grid telecommunications base stations worldwide. Their technology enables significant energy savings whilst simultaneously allowing companies to pursue a green strategy using renewable energy sources whether in the heart of the city or in the remotest areas of the globe.

Colm Byrne
Colm is MD at Glas Energy where he has been involved in promoting and selling renewable energy solutions since 2002. Market conditions have declined recently so Colm has had to re-think and re-invent his business.

Pat Blount
Pat is Business Development Manager for Meitheal na Gaoithe and he also owns and operators two wind farms consisting of 7 turbines. Pat has vast experience and knowledge of the wind industry in Ireland and views on potential business and job opportunities.

Closer to the date you can access the full programme at www.energycamp.ie

Rain Forests and Climate Change

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:01:00 GMT

Tropical rainforests are the lungs of the planet and play a vital role in regulating levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Deforestation is a major cause of increasing levels of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and various efforts have been made, with little success, to curtail the activities of loggers and ranchers who slash and burn vast areas of tropical forest each year.

Now Guyana, a South American country on the Atlantic coast north of Brazil, has entered into an agreement with Norway to keep its tropical forests intact in return for a cash payment. Each year Norway will make a payment to Guyana provided the tropical forests are not destroyed and Guyana will use the money on a range of sustainable projects. In 2011 some $40million is being transferred and the money is being used to install solar panels on houses of indigenous people, to link remote communities to the internet and for other sustainable projects in the area of health, education and business. The total amount of money to be transferred will be calculated on the basis of how successful Guyana is in preventing deforestation but will run into hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 5 years.

This initiative could provide a template for other countries in the developed world to recognize the priceless services that rain forests provide to the entire world. It can also assist poor countries such as Guyana to make it more profitable to keep the forests intact rather than to cut them down.

Meanwhile, back in Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency has published its forecast for greenhouse gas emissions up to 2020. The emissions projections are calculated on the basis of the best available economic forecast. Because of the economic slowdown Ireland will be able to meet its commitments under the United Nations Kyoto Protocol for the 5-year period from 2008 to 2012. However it will not be able to meet commitments made under the EU Commission’s Energy and Climate Package which commit member states to legally binding emission limits up to 2020. Even using the best scenario the annual limits will be breached by 2016 and could amount to 8.8 million tonnes of CO2 by 2020. If the economy recovers faster than predicted then the breach could be even higher than that.

The figures show that we should not rely on an economic recession to meet our climate change obligations. Instead, we should use this time to develop and implement a new energy strategy that is not dependent on imported fossil fuel. Fortunately we have the natural resources of wind, wave and tide to free us completely from the stranglehold of the fossil fuel industry. Using a combination of wind power and pumped water storage we can eliminate our fossil fuel bill of over six billion euro each year. If our new Government has the foresight and courage of its predecessors, who built the hydro –electric station at Ardnacrusha in the 1920s as the country took its first steps into independence, then we, like Guyana, could become an example for the world.

Wind Energy, Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol.

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:50:00 GMT

A week long effort by the United Nations to reach a new agreement on Climate Change ended on 8 April in Bangkok with little signs of progress. The existing agreement, known as the Kyoto Protocol, ends in December 2012 and it is now accepted that time has run out to have a new agreement in place by that deadline. The Kyoto Protocol is the only international set of accounting rules that protect the environmental integrity of mitigation efforts of countries around the world. Hopes were high that a new agreement would be reached at the UN Climate meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 but that meeting ended in failure and subsequent efforts in Cancun and Bangkok have made little progress.

Meanwhile recent calculations by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) show that wind energy is achieving over a quarter of the emissions reductions required under the current Kyoto agreement. The association’s Regulatory Affairs Officer, Rémi Gruet said “An international agreement remains absolutely vital but it’s clear that while there’s an impasse in the negotiations, many countries around the globe are getting on with avoiding CO2 emissions by installing wind energy and other renewable energy sources.”

EWEA calculations show that at the end of 2010, wind energy across the world avoided 255 Mt of CO2, equivalent to 26% of the emissions reductions commitment of industrialised countries under the Kyoto Protocol and by 2020, wind power should avoid some 69% of the pledges made in Cancun.

Last year in Ireland the annual average wind energy penetration was 11% of total electricity consumed in the country and the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) estimates that Ireland could presently generate 25% of its electricity from the wind with no increase in electricity prices. If this was done, IWEA estimates that there would be wind turbines scattered across only 1/2 of one percent of the country, assuming no offshore development. There would be thousands of new jobs created in manufacturing and research, and we would be able to avoid EU pollution penalties. The new Government Ministers in Environment and in Energy should make this a priority.

EU Commission and septic tanks in Ireland.

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:29:00 GMT

Over a year ago, the European Court of Justice ruled that Ireland was failing to comply with the EU Waste Framework Directive. The case concerned domestic wastewater disposed of in rural areas through septic tanks and other individual wastewater treatment systems.

EU law stipulates that the necessary measures must be taken to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health, and without using processes or methods that could harm the environment.

There are over 400,000 septic tanks in Ireland and discharges from these tanks have contributed to the microbiological pollution of groundwater and nutrient pollution of surface waters. Human health is at risk because pathogens can enter drinking water sources via septic tanks that are poorly designed or badly maintained. Irish legislation still lacks provisions for systematic periodic checks and inspections.

The European Commission is now urging Ireland to comply with the European Court of Justice ruling. The Commission is concerned that, a year after the Court ruling, no legal measures have been adopted to ensure that septic tanks are subject to adequate checks and inspections to protect human health and the environment.

On a recommendation by Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, a letter of formal notice under ongoing infringement proceedings has been sent to Ireland. If Ireland fails to act, the Commission could refer the case back to the Court and request financial penalties.

Nuclear Power and Climate Change

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:57:00 GMT

The destruction of the nuclear power plants in Fukushima, Japan by the resent tsunami has prompted reconsideration across the world of the role of nuclear power in the global fight against climate change.

The need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels had led to a revival in interest in nuclear power over recent years. The nuclear industry had been in decline since the Chernobyl accident in 1986 but, because of the increased emphasis on global climate change, many countries had decided to build new nuclear facilities or to extend the life of existing plants. In Germany the government had reversed an earlier decision to close their nuclear facilities entirely and the UK had selected a number of sites for new or replacement facilities.

In light of what has happened in Japan, Germany has now decided to close some reactors immediately and to hold a review of the remaining facilities before making a final decision on their future. Similar reviews are taking place in the USA and even China, with a strong nuclear industry, are pausing to consider if this is the correct way to proceed.

Closer to home, in the UK, the Minister with responsibility for energy and climate change has also ordered a review of the Government’s plan to replace their ageing nuclear facilities and there is evidence that UK investment banks are losing the appetite for such investment. The last UK Government had decided to use nuclear power to help them achieve the reduction in carbon emissions that were required under EU and UN agreements on global climate change. Without nuclear power there is little chance of meeting the 34% reduction targets set in the 2008 Climate Change Act.

This situation presents an opportunity for Ireland. We have the natural resources to generate significant renewable energy that can be exported via the interconnector to Britian. Using a combination of wind energy and large hydro storage reservoirs, as planned by the Spirit of Ireland initiative (see www.spiritofireland.org), this country can quickly fill the gap generated by the delay or cancellation of the UK’s nuclear plants. In the process we can generate thousands of jobs and reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuel – a commodity that is costing more and more each day.

Dublin Declaration on North Sea Pollution

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:25:00 GMT

Ministers and officials from nine European countries and executives from the European Commission have agreed to implement a series of measures to protect the North Sea and its approaches from oil spills and other pollution.

In the light of the pollution of the Gulf of Mexico caused by the Deepwater Horizon accident earlier this year, the Ministers agreed to take appropriate actions to prevent and respond to accidental and illegal pollution from offshore oil and gas operations in the area. The agreement was struck in Dublin at the end of November.

An action plan lays out how the governments of the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Ireland intend to prevent pollution, prepare for incidents and respond to them in a co-ordinated way.

The states are all parties to the 1969 Bonn convention, which Ireland acceded to earlier this year. The European Commission is also a party. The action plan is divided in three parts: strategic aims, operational objectives and specific actions.

The Bonn convention's parties intend to boost aerial surveillance of shipping and other maritime activities, and ensure efficient evidence gathering following pollution incidents. National responses will be aligned and better co-ordinated.

Specific actions agreed include updating the agreement's counter-pollution manual.

There will also be joint training exercises to prepare for combating possible oil spillages in the region. The action plan will be reviewed in 2012.

Meanwhile he American National Oceanographic and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) has closed an area of the Gulf of Mexico fishing grounds to red shrimp fishing after black tar balls were found in a catch. The NOAA said "The precautionary measure was taken after a commercial shrimper, having hauled in his catch of the deep water shrimp, discovered tar balls in his net."

As suspected, the oil has not disappeared and this is a setback for shrimp fishermen in the region who thought the worst was over.

SEAI Energy Awards

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:32:00 GMT

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland presented their seventh annual Sustainable Energy Awards in Dublin at the end of November. Companies across all sectors of the economy were recognised for their efforts in energy management and the awards attracted entries from over 100 organisations throughout the country.

Top prize on the night, ‘Energy Manager of the Year’, went to Brian Scannell of the Musgrave Group, which launched a five-year sustainability strategy across its business in 2007 that has since delivered over 3GWh in energy savings, equivalent to 5% year on year savings.

Other winners included:

Crowley Carbon Ltd, which received the new ‘Sustainable Energy Innovation Award’ for the adoption of an iPhone app Danú, a smart analytical tool that helps businesses to carry out a comprehensive energy audit. The tool was demonstrated in Corrib Oil and led to energy savings of 30% equivalent to €120,000.

Tyndall National Institute, winner of the ‘Renewable Energy Systems Award’ for its new research building which is heated entirely by heat generated from its data servers, saving 12% on energy costs.

Citi, winner of the ‘Energy Awareness Award’ for a sustained energy awareness programme which resulted in reducing utility costs by almost €350,000 over the last year alone.

Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa, which was awarded the ‘Energy Management Award, Small to Medium User’ for achieving energy savings of almost 30% in the last three years, equivalent to €250,000, by following no-and low- cost energy saving initiatives involving all staff.

Matthews Coach Hire, which won the ‘Energy Efficiency Award, Small to Medium User’, for implementing a fuel efficiency project that has generated a 6% saving in fuel usage throughout its fleet of private coaches, commuter and tour party buses.

Commenting on the Awards announcement, Professor Owen Lewis, CEO, SEAI said: “What is most encouraging from this year’s Awards is the evidence that employees and individuals in business are now really embracing the efficiency agenda and driving change throughout Irish industry. A culture change is taking place across Irish businesses. We too often think that our individual efforts are futile in the bigger picture, but all we have to do is look at the collective efforts of entrants to this year’s Awards who have achieved energy savings of over €17 million.
Individuals have made these savings happen and they should be commended.”

Individual efforts can have similar results in the home and, as we head into the cold winter months, we should use every opportunity to reduce energy demand and to increase efficiency.

Further information on the 2010 Sustainable Energy Awards can be found on SEAI’s

website www.seai.ie/energyawards

The Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:01:00 GMT

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations has established the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice. The Foundation is a centre for thought leadership, education and advocacy on the struggle to secure global justice for victims of climate change who are usually forgotten – the poor, the disempowered and the marginalised across the world. The Foundation will be based at Trinity College, Dublin.

It is a platform for solidarity, partnership and shared engagement for all who care about global justice, whether as individuals and communities suffering injustice or as advocates for fairness in resource-rich societies. The Foundation provides a space for facilitating action on climate justice to empower the poorest people and countries in their efforts to achieve sustainable and people-centred development.

Mary Robinson delivered the 11th lecture in the EPA’s series of lectures on Climate Change on Tuesday 23 November 2010 to a packed Mansion House. In the course of the lecture she said:

"In hard times it can be difficult to attend to the long term. When recession and debt pose urgent constraints, ten-year targets and fifty-year plans may appear a luxury.
Climate change can appear far away, in both time and space. And yet, of course, it is not far away, it is not merely a ‘long-term’ problem. Climate change is what we are doing right here and right now."

"What is crystal clear is that, from now on, the wellbeing of those in richer and poorer countries is intimately related... it is not enough for me to realise that my carbon-saturated life here today has in part caused the climate refugee fleeing her flooded home in Bangladesh tomorrow. I must also recognise that if she is to be
denied access to carbon-fuelled economic growth, I must also, surely, be obliged to provide her some substitute form of wherewithal."

Climate justice links human rights and development to achieve a human-centered approach, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable and sharing the burdens and benefits of climate change and its resolution equitably and fairly.

Climate justice insists that all the peoples of the world (and not just the rich and powerful) have a right to development. A developmental approach to climate justice recognises this fact while also demanding that it should be made both possible and attractive for such development to occur in a sustainable way

Further details can be found at www.mrfcj.org

Energy Saving and Grant Aid

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:07:00 GMT

Some subscribers to this website (GreenQuest.ie) have suggested that we outline
the various grants that are available for energy saving in the home lest readers are
unfamiliar with them.

Grants for energy saving are provided by the Government through the Sustainable
Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and full details of the different programmes are
available on their website at www.seai.ie.

Some programmes provide support for specific sectors and these programmes usually
have a finite life and are discontinued after a specified date.

At present the grants available for homeowners fall into three categories namely;

• Greener Home Scheme
• Warmer Home Scheme
• Home Energy Saving Scheme

The first of these, the Greener Home Scheme, provides assistance for homeowners
who intent to purchase a new renewable energy heating system for existing homes
built prior to July 2008. The scheme aims to increase the use of renewable energy and
sustainable energy technologies in Irish homes.

Grants are available for Solar Heating, Heat Pumps, Wood Chip or Pellet Stoves
and Wood Gasification Boiler. The amounts of the grant varies depending on the
technology used but a grant of up to €3,500 is available for the installation of a
vertical heat pump for example and €800 is available for the installation of a biomass
stove.

Information for applicants is available at http://www.seai.ie/Grants/GreenerHomes/
Homeowners/How_to_Apply/Greener_Homes_Application_Guide.pdf

The Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and comfort
conditions of homes occupied by low-income households, and to establish the systems
and grow the capacity in Ireland to install such measures through community based
organisations.

The scheme grant aids attic insulation, draught proofing, lagging jackets, energy
efficient lighting, cavity wall insulation and energy advice.

Information for applicants is available at
http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Warmer_Homes_Scheme/SEI_Warmer_Homes_leaflet.pdf

The third scheme, the Home Energy Saving scheme, provides assistance to
homeowners who are interested in improving the energy efficiency of their home in
order to reduce energy use and costs, greenhouse gas emissions and improve the
comfort levels within their home.

Grants are available under this scheme for roof insulation, and wall insulation (cavity

wall, internal dry lining or external insulation), the installation of a high efficiency
Oil/Gas fired Boiler and for the upgrade of heating controls in the home.

A Building Energy Rating (BER) is an integral part of all grant applications under
this scheme and homeowners must undertake a BER on their home after grant aided
works have been completed.

Again the amount available varies but external wall insulation, for example, qualifies
for a grant of €4,000.

See application guide at http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Home_Energy_Saving_Scheme/
Application_Guide_8th_june.pdf

Greenhouse Gases in 2009

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:03:00 GMT

The Environmental Protection Agency recently published a provisional report on the emission of greenhouse gases in Ireland in 2009. As expected, emissions were down on the 2008 figure and the decrease occurred across all sectors of the economy.

The key points in the report are
• Total emissions stood at 62.32 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
• The emissions for the industry and commercial sector fell by 20% from 2008.
• Power generation emissions were down by 10.7%
• Transport emissions fell by 7.7%
• The cement sector had the largest drop at 38% reflecting the collapse in construction in Ireland.
• The agriculture sector continues to be the biggest emitter at 29.1% of the total.
• Power generation and transport account for 21% each of the total.
• Industry and commercial stands at 14.8%.
• Residential accounts for 12% and
• Waste emissions are 1.9% of the total.

This reduction brings the country closer to the level needed to meet our Kyoto target of 62.84 million tonnes per annum for each of the five years from 2008 to 2012 but meeting that target at the expense of the Irish economy is not the way to do it.

What is needed is a move away from an economy dependent on fossil fuel to one based on renewable and sustainable energy. Ireland should use this economic crisis to build a low carbon economy and exploit our natural advantage over other countries in the area of wind resources.

Where did all that oil go?

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:05:00 GMT

Last month the US Government reported that up to 70% of the oil released during the three months spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been cleared. Now however, The Bellona Foundation, based in Norway, has reported that Professor Samantha Joye of the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Georgia, who is conducting a study on a research vessel just two miles from the spill zone, said the oil has not disappeared, but is on the sea floor in a layer of scum. That University estimates that as much as 80% of the oil that was released is still there and is blanketing the bottom of the ocean with devastating consequences for the flora and fauna there.

The studies also confirm that hundreds of thousands of gallons of the controversial oil dispersant Corexit dumped on the spill may have done more harm than good by simply cosmetically cleaning up the problem, which, at the bottom of the sea, will do far more long term harm than good.

"We're finding it everywhere that we've looked. The oil is not gone," Joye said. "It's in places where nobody has looked for it." All 13 of the core samples Joye and her team have collected from the bottom of the gulf are showing oil from the spill, she said. In some areas the oily material that Joye describes is more than two inches thick. Her team found the material as far as 70 miles away from BP's well. "If we're seeing two and half inches of oil 16 miles away, God knows what we'll see close in – I really can't even guess other than to say it's going to be a whole lot more than two and a half inches," Joye said.

The discoveries are bound to reignite suspicions between residents of the Gulf of Mexico and the Federal Government, which was initially criticized for its handling of the spill. It also vindicates independent environmental research conducted by southern US universities after the spill began, which were initially witheringly denied by Federal response units and BP.

In an interview with ABC News from her vessel, Joye said the oil cannot be natural seepage into the gulf, because the cores they've tested are showing oil only at the top. With natural seepage, the oil would spread from the top to the bottom of the core, she said. "Nobody should be surprised," by the findings, Joye said. "When you apply large scale dispersants, it goes to the bottom – it sediments out. It gets sticky."

While the attention of the World moved on as soon as the damaged well was capped, the effects of the spill on the environment will be felt in the Gulf of Mexico for many years to come