This article is from page 3 of the 2011-02-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
A COROFIN company has made a major breakthrough for renewable energy in Ireland by successfully installing the first small-scale miscanthus burner in Ireland.
Miscanthus, which is also known as elephant grass, has up until now proved impossible to burn in smaller burners, which are not designed specifically for large-scale power generation.
Corofin company Ensoleir has just completed the installation of a small scale miscanthus burner on a farm in Cork. This breakthrough means that tens of thousands of Irish businesses can now use miscanthus as a heating source – which is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly that burning fossil fuels.
The results of this could revolutionise the energy market in Ireland and create large business opportunities not just for Ensoleir but for other spin-off industries in the county.
“Ireland is one of the largest miscanthus growers in Europe but up until now it could not been used for smaller burners because the proper technology did not exist. But we have found a way around this problem,” said Fritz Mohn of Ensoleir.
“The boiler heats water so it can be used for the central heating systems for public building, school and large office blocks. It also useful in conjunction with a heat exchanger for powering dryers in the agri-food sector.”
Beside being an environmentally friendly energy solution, miscanthus is also a cheaper long-term option to fossil fuels.
“The miscanthus is much cheaper than fossil fuels at the moment. In place’s like large green houses or leasure centres, where hot water is needed all year round, they will make back their investment very quickly,” continued Fritz.
“The boiler that we installed in Cork will save the user 40 per cent on his heating bill each year and he will be able to pay back for the installation costs in just four years. We are in talks at the moment with a large green house grower in the south of the country and he will save between € 30,000 and € 40,000 each year with miscanthus.
“We are working with local companies for the accessories needed to install the boiler so this technology should be good news for the wider community.”
For more visit www.ensoleir.com.