Biofuels breakthrough in Ireland

Irish companies have made a green breakthrough by using a fast growing, perennial grass as biofuel to generate electricity.

JHM Crops and Quinn’s of Baltinglass supplied the national grid with the grass, called miscanthus biomass. It was then successfully fired with peat at the Bord na Mona powerstation, generating green electricity.

Chief executive of JHM Crops, Joe Hogan said that this breakthrough represented an “important” day for his company. He added that the fact that miscanthus biomass “can be burned in an already-existing facility is very encouraging.”

Bord na Mona power station currently burns one million tonnes of peat every year, but is aiming to change to at least 30% renewable sources by 2015.

Miscanthus biomass offers a high return for a very low labour input, and is very easy to maintain. Because of this, it is thought that it could play a vital role in the future of environmentally friendly energy production.