Then, a month later, his chief adviser, Paul Kenny moved to start a post with the European Heat Pump Association in Brussels.
In early July, consultants, Ricardo held a virtual workshop on the proposed ‘Renewable Heat Obligation’ which the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) says will be introduced this year.
In early proposals, a blend rate of 2% was discussed which we, as a sector totally opposed as insignificant and informed DECC that a blend rate of at least 20% was required to make any considerable progress on decarbonisation in residential homes.
Good news
The good news was two-fold; Ricardo presented blend scenarios at both 10% and 20% and the local consultants who are partnering the project, Byrne Ó Cléirigh, indicated that they believed that there was more than enough biofuel (HVO) to blend into Irish heating solutions.
This is good news indeed, as this has always been a sticking point with civil servants and ministers, and we can now use their own consultants information for our benefit.
We did so at a recent meeting with Darren O’Rourke TD who is Sinn Féin’s Energy Spokesperson. He understands our position, and has indicated that the party’s position on future heating will be to promote ‘mixed technology’ which is all we have ever wanted.
As the Alliance for Zero Carbon Heating (TAZCH) – an alliance between OFTEC, UKIFDA and FFI – we are currently signing off on a new white paper to promote sustainable and renewable biofuels for heating to the elected members, ahead of an election later this year in the Republic.
By the time this article appears, we will have met with all the main parties and hope to have biofuels firmly on their manifestos ahead of the election.
While the tide is turning, and there is hope for optimism, there are still several hoops to jump through before government introduces a blended heating requirement into legislation. We need an agreed fuel specification, and discussion is already underway with BSI to amend BS2869.
We also need clarity on how the scheme will work, and if certificates in the renewable heating obligation will be interchangeable with the Road Transport Fuel Obligation.
We also want to know where the blending will be done and how this can sit alongside dual-purpose kerosene (DPK), as only one product is brought into Ireland for use in heating and aviation.
While there are still a few barriers to overcome, the direction of travel is extremely positive, and the future looks incredibly green… for biofuels!
Image credit: David Blevings, OFTEC
