Green Blog

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

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 

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

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

There has been some debate in the media about the energy used by search engines such as Google when performing a typical search for information. Some commentators have claimed that it is equivalent to half the energy needed to boil a kettle of water and produces 7 grams of carbon dioxide for each search. Google have responded to these claims by releasing some statistics to show that the average search is completed in 0.2 seconds and uses only 1 kilojoule (kJ) of energy. For comparison, the average adult needs about 8000 kJ a day of energy from food, so a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in ten seconds.

In terms of greenhouse gases, one Google search is equivalent to about 0.2 grams of CO2. The current EU standard for car exhaust emissions is 140 grams of CO2 per kilometre driven, but most cars don't reach that level yet. Thus, the average car driven for one kilometre produces as many greenhouse gases as a thousand Google searches.

Nevertheless, search engine providers and data centres use large amounts of electricity and some are now investing in renewable electricity ventures to reduce their overall carbon footprint. Recently Reuters reported that Google’s energy unit had entered into a deal to buy wind power from NextEra Energy Inc in the USA for the next 20 years to power data centres. The deal comes less than three months after Google invested $38.8 million in two wind farms in North Dakota that generate enough energy to power more than 55,000 homes.

As more of these search engines are powered by renewable electricity, internet users around the world can continue to work knowing that the environmental impact of their online activities is reducing.