Biomethane utilisation in Kilkenny Machinery Yard
About this good practice
As a workshop and associated services hub for Kilkenny Local Authority, the Kilkenny Machinery Yard is heavily reliant on natural gas for heating. The installation of the biomethane boiler would not have gone ahead without the support of the Interreg NWE under the RegEnergy project. This is the first installation in Ireland, where a standard gas driven system has been replaced with a biogas boiler, for a Local Authority. The Machinery Yard facility is not served by a gas injection point, hence, an off-grid model in which biomethane is delivered on pressurised containers. There were many obstacles that had to be overcome, including:
* Convincing the site operator that the proposed solution was viable and could be relied upon.
* Obtaining guarantees from the boiler supplier that the system would run efficiently on biogas.
* Confirming that the quality of biogas supplied was of adequate quality to be used in a gas boiler.
* Designing, from the basics, a method of transporting the biomethane from the point of production to the point of use and ensuring security of biomethane supplies.
* Investigating the legal and regulatory requirements for moving gas safely on a public road, in terms of carrier licensing.
* Sourcing boiler and pressurised transport suppliers outside Ireland considering renewable biogas solution had never been provided previously in Ireland.
The stakeholders involved are South East Energy Agency, Ormonde Upgrading Limited and the beneficiary, Kilkenny LA.
Resources needed
Financial resources required is €75,000.00 and the rest of the cost is covered by the gas supplier. 5 South East Energy Agency employees provided technical support for the setup of the project, while 5 Kilkenny Co. Co. staff perform daily operations on-site.
Evidence of success
Total primary energy requirement decreased by 27% from 126,675 kWh recorded in the previous year to 92,127 kWh with the use of biomethane. This has produced 10% in savings as recorded under the Monitoring & Reporting system of the SEAI. Beyond 2021, the site's energy requirements were fulfilled by biomethane as there is no associated carbon in renewable biogas production and consumption. Over a 10-year period (2020 to 2030) it is estimated that €16,363 can be saved as carbon taxes.
Potential for learning or transfer
Current gas supply from the gas grid network can be through the following: gas grid direct or delivery injection, consumer delivery, gas filling station, on-site CHP. The choice of an option depends on location to gas grid network. A unique gas supply option was not appropriate to this case study due to current configuration of gas grid networks and location of site from the producer; hence, a mix of gas injection and consumer delivery was adopted in the utilisation of biomethane onsite. Thermal load of this pilot allowed for savings to be made through the amount of carbon offsets, elimination of all associated standing charges, capacity charges etc.
Good practice owner
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