Wednesday 26th April 2017: The GreenGasCert research project, which will see the development of Ireland’s first “Green Gas Certification” scheme, will be officially launched through a stakeholder workshop in the Radisson Blu, Golden Lane, Dublin 2 from 11am-2pm on Wednesday 26th April.
The launch of the research project will bring together world leading experts in bioenergy research to deliver a blueprint for a scheme tailored to Irish requirements. Irish business leaders, government policy makers, technical experts and representatives from industry will attend the opening event. Wednesday’s workshop will hear of the U.S. experience with an address by Massachusetts State Senator Marc R. Pacheco, the Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Energy and Utilities and a previous Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.
Green gas – also known as renewable gas – is an indigenous, sustainable source of energy that can be produced from many organic waste materials and upgraded to a standard which is identical to natural gas. Renewable gas can be injected into the gas pipeline network or it can be used independently as a fuel for heating, transport or power generation.
Commenting on the launch of the GreenGasCert project, Professor Tony Day, Executive Director of the IERC says: “There are significant macro-economic benefits for Irish industry and Irish gas users from developing a Green Gas Certification scheme. This project will determine potential emissions savings from renewable gas production systems and will identify development opportunities to stimulate the green gas industry in Ireland. I believe that this work can make a significant contribution to achieving Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and energy targets, while helping Irish industry to become more resilient and competitive.”
The competitiveness of Ireland’s economy will improve through the supply of a sustainable, secure source and supply of renewable gas. Irish industry (in the form of Irish gas users) will primarily benefit economically and it is estimated that renewable gas would displace natural gas and support up to 6,000 new jobs nationwide.
The International Energy Research Centre (IERC), hosted in Tyndall National Institute, is collaborating with the SFI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy (MaREI), the German Research institution Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ) and the German Energy Agency (DENA) to help shape this important project and input into this stakeholder workshop. IERC is working with Gas Networks Ireland and the Renewable Gas Forum of Ireland to design a renewable gas certification scheme (GreenGasCert) for Ireland.
For more information please contact:
Dr. Matt Kennedy, Head of Strategy and Business, IERC
087 265 0621
Rachel Power, Marketing, Media and Communications Manager, Tyndall National Institute
021 234 6341,
087 710 4716
Notes:
Massachusetts Senate President Pro Tempore Marc R. Pacheco
Previous Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care, among others. He also has served on the Senate Ways and Means Committee for 14 years and currently sits on the Senate Committee on Personnel and Administration, He is the Senate Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunictions, Energy and utilities and he is the Founding Chair of the Senate standing Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change. In this role he continues to play a major role in the States clean energy future. Through each of these responsibilities, Senator Pacheco has led staff on legislative research and communications, handled personnel and administration issues, and helped manage multimillion and multibillion dollar budgets
Project consortium
The International Energy Research Centre (IERC) is an industry led, Irish Government supported Energy Technology Centre. The Centre delivers world leading collaborative research to meet global societal needs for secure, affordable and sustainable energy services. It addresses energy demand side efficiency and systems integration challenges.
Gas Networks Ireland own, operate, build and maintain the natural gas network in Ireland. It ensures that over 670,000 natural gas customers receive a safe, efficient and secure supply of natural gas. It does not own the gas; we transport it on behalf of suppliers and shippers to over 23,000 businesses and almost 650,000 homes.
The Renewable Gas Forum Ireland (RGFI) is an industry forum representing the interests of those involved in the renewable gas supply chain across the island of Ireland, both north and south. RGFI is committed to influencing, supporting and delivering policies and initiatives that promote the development of the renewable gas industry in Ireland as an economically viable and environmentally sustainable component of the overall energy mix.
