Energy crops grown by Irish farmers offer the largest potential to expand Ireland's domestic bioenergy resource over the next 20 years, according to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

The firm published a report, Bioenergy Supply in Ireland 2015-2035, which reveals that energy crops along with biomass resources from Irish forests and the better utilisation of wastes and by-products have the potential to provide over one fifth of our final energy demand.

Dr Eimear Cotter, Head of Low Carbon Technologies in SEAI, said: "Ireland currently spends about €5 billion per year on importing fossil fuels and using biomass to produce energy can help keep some of this money in local and rural biomass supply chains while also helping to reduce carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

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"Helping farmers to grow environmentally sustainable energy crops can add to the energy available from good forest and waste management practises. Using the available resources to produce heat at higher efficiencies can also maximise the energy and wider benefits for using bioenergy. The majority of the additional resource potential identified such as, willow, miscanthus or biogas from grass silage, would only come available at prices above current market prices for most bioenergy resources. Increased bioenergy demand leading to sustained increases in the market price for bioenergy resources can make these resources financially viable for farmers, foresters and other resource providers."

(CD/LM)