Dairy products company Adams Foods, which is part of the Irish Dairy Board, is achieving impressive carbon performance at its new factory at Leek in Staffordshire, England, thanks to combined heat and power (CHP) technology. The 150kW CHP unit, supplied by sustainable power group ENER-G, is part of an environmental management programme at the factory. Since full commissioning of the CHP system in June 2010 it has achieved carbon savings of 476 tonnes, equivalent to the environmental benefit of 47,600 trees.

Adams Foods, which was formed when The Kerrygold Company merged with North Downs Dairy in October 2010, is the UK’s leading pre-packed cheese business, with 30% share of the UK retail market. Kerrygold Irish butter, which is sold in 60 countries globally, is marketed and distributed in the UK from the Staffordshire site.

The state-of-the-art factory and office complex, in Leek, was designed to be the most efficient and environmentally friendly cheese packing facility in Europe. Occupying 15,500 sq m, the new facility employs 550 people and operates 24 hours a day.

The ENER-G CHP system generates 150kW of electricity and provides 225kW of heat to pre-heat water for washing and cleaning.

CHP technology converts gas into both electricity and heat in a single process at the point of use. The technology works by generating electricity on-site and recovering the majority of the heat created in the process. Its high efficiency contrasts with conventional power stations where heat is lost into the atmosphere through power station cooling towers, and further losses occur when transmitting the electricity along many miles of electrical distribution cables to customers.

By using a CHP to generate electricity on site, Adams Foods can use the heat generated for its hot water requirements, while creating substantial carbon savings.

150kW CHP unit from ENER-G.

The CHP unit was acquired using ENER-G’s capital purchase scheme and features an ENER-G Premier maintenance contract that includes all services and call outs.

Adams Foods has also implemented a number of other energy saving techniques to reduce costs and lower carbon emissions. These include sun pipes, passive infra red (PIR) lighting controls, photovoltaic cells, and free cooling to the production hall using roof mounted air fans and inverter driven motors on pumps and fans.

The ENER-G Group is a leading distributed power generation and energy management company and its UK manufactured CHP systems reduce carbon emissions by around 20% while cutting electricity costs by approximately one third. They can be powered by natural gas, diesel, biodiesel, propane, biofuels or biogases.

Alternative fuels have the potential to gradually replace fossil energy sources and make transport sustainable by 2050, according to a report presented to the European Commission by the stakeholder expert group on future transport fuels. The EU will need an oil-free and largely CO2-free energy supply for transport by 2050 due to the need to reduce its impact on the environment and concerns about the security of energy supply.

The expert group has for the first time developed a comprehensive approach covering the whole transport sector. Expected demand from all transport modes could be met through a combination of electricity (batteries or hydrogen/fuel cells) and biofuels as main options, synthetic fuels (increasingly from renewable resources) as a bridging option, methane (natural gas and biomethane) as complementary fuel, and LPG as supplement.

The Commission is currently revising existing policies and the report will feed into the ‘initiative on clean transport systems’, to be launched later this year. The initiative intends to develop a consistent long-term strategy for fully meeting the energy demands of the transport sector from alternative and sustainable sources by 2050.

According to the report, alternative fuels are the ultimate solution to decarbonise transport, by gradually substituting fossil energy sources. Technical and economic viability, efficient use of primary energy sources and market acceptance, however, will be decisive for a competitive acquisition of market share by the different fuels and vehicle technologies.

There is no single candidate for fuel substitution. Fuel demand and greenhouse gas challenges will most likely require the use of a mix of fuels, which can be produced from a large variety of primary energy sources. There is broad agreement that all sustainable fuels will be needed to fully meet the expected demand.

Different modes of transport require different options of alternative fuels. Fuels with higher energy density are more suited to longer-distance operations, such as road freight transport, maritime transport, and aviation. Compatibility of new fuels with current technologies and infrastructure, or the need for disruptive system changes should be taken into account as important factors, determining in particular the economics of the different options.

The European Commission has published a report on indirect land use change related to biofuels and bioliquids. The report acknowledges that indirect land use change can reduce greenhouse gas emissions savings associated with biofuels, but also identifies a number of uncertainties. The Commission will now conduct an impact assessment, thereby taking into consideration potential changes to the existing legislation.

The 2009 Renewable Energy and Fuel Quality Directives set targets of a 10% share of renewable energy in the transport sector and a 6% greenhouse gas reductions for fuels used in the transport sector in 2020. The contribution from biofuels to these targets is expected to be significant.

In order to avoid possible negative side-effects, both Directives impose sustainability criteria that biofuels and bioliquids need to comply with in order to be counted towards the targets. These criteria include provisions to prevent the conversion of areas of high biodiversity and carbon sinks such as forest and wetlands. They also require minimum greenhouse gas emission savings from biofuels compared to fossil fuels.

However, there is a risk that part of the additional demand for biofuels will be met through an increase in the amount of land devoted to agriculture worldwide. This could lead to emissions associated with the conversion of land indirectly. Therefore, the Commission is required to review the impact of indirect land use change on greenhouse gas emissions and propose legislative action for minimising that impact if appropriate.

Estimating the greenhouse gas impact due to indirect land use change requires projecting impacts in the future, which is inherently uncertain, since future developments will not necessarily follow trends of the past. The estimated impact can only be established through modelling. In this context the Commission recognises that a number of deficiencies and uncertainties which could significantly impact on the results remain to be addressed.

Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard.

Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says: “We have to ensure that the biofuels we promote deliver clear greenhouse gas savings. Although we have developed robust sustainability criteria for their production, we must not ignore any unwanted impacts that may be caused globally as a result of the additional demand. Action in the field should follow a precautionary approach.”

The Commission will now focus on carrying out a detailed assessment of a shortlist of the potential policy approaches for dealing with this issue, which will be presented no later than July 2011.

Should the forthcoming Impact Assessment come to the conclusion that legislative action is needed, the Commission will ensure that any future policy decision is based on the best available and most accurate science. The Impact Assessment will consider the following policy options:

* take no action for the time being, while continuing to monitor;

* increase the minimum greenhouse gas saving threshold for biofuels and bioliquids;

* introduce additional sustainability requirements on certain categories of biofuels and bioliquids;

* attribute a quantity of greenhouse gas emissions to biofuels reflecting the estimated indirect land use change impact.

Bord Gais has launched a report on ‘The Future of Renewable Gas in Ireland’. Produced in association with UCC and Ernst & Young, the report outlines how grass and waste can be converted into natural gas that can then be used locally or piped into the national grid for distribution around Ireland. The report estimates that 7.5% of Ireland’s natural gas demand could be met by renewable gas, the equivalent of heating 300,000 homes each year.

John Mullins, chief executive of Bord Gais.

“Capturing this renewable gas resource would be a considerable step in addressing Ireland’s challenging renewable energy and waste management objectives,” comments John Mullins, chief executive of Bord Gais. “It would also help reduce our dependence on energy imports, provide jobs in the construction and operation of biomethane plants, and create new business opportunities among the farming community in rural Ireland.”

The technology is already in use in other countries: for example, farmers in Denmark and Germany have formed co-operatives to finance, build and run such renewable gas facilities. In Stockholm, the city treats municipal waste to create natural gas for use as a transport fuel. This would be an option in Ireland also, as Bord Gais is currently trialling a production-line natural gas vehicle (NGV) in its fleet. Cities such as Madrid are strong advocates of NGVs for public transport and fleet operators, to reduce both carbon and other emissions.

Dr Jerry Murphy, principle investigator in Bioenergy and Biofuels, Environmental Research Institute, UCC, explains: “Biogas is produced when feedstocks, such as organic wastes, and energy crops, such as grass silage, are converted using anaerobic digestion technology. The ‘raw’ biogas can then be cleaned and upgraded to biomethane – renewable gas – and injected into the national gas grid. Distribution of this renewable gas is optimised due to the existing, modern, extensive natural gas grid. A biomethane industry could make a significant contribution to the ‘green tech’ sector in line with Ireland’s strategy to create sustainable knowledge-driven industries.”

John Mullins adds: “What this study has found is that biomethane represents a significant and under-utilised source of renewable energy in Ireland. Undoubtedly, there are obstacles to making renewable gas a viable energy source in Ireland. However, we believe that, if the necessary parties work together, these barriers can be overcome in a relatively short timeframe. We welcome the support of industry, the SEAI, the EPA and other relevant parties in the publication of this report and look forward to working with all policy makers in the development of a renewable gas industry in Ireland.”