Sustainability Criteria Options and Impacts for Irish Bioenergy Resources ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Sustainability Criteria Options and Impacts for Irish Bioenergy Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Sustainability Criteria Options and Impacts for Irish Bioenergy Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Disclaimer This report has been prepared by Byrne Ó Cléirigh Limited and Navigant with all reasonable skill, care and diligence within the terms of the Contract with the Client, incorporating our Terms and Conditions and taking account of the resources devoted to it by agreement with the Client. We disclaim any responsibility to the Client and others in respect of any matters outside the scope of the above. Sustainability Criteria Options and Impacts for Irish Bioenergy Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Contents 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 1 2 EU LEGISLATION ................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Renewable Energy Directive (RED) ............................................................................................... 2 2.2 ILUC Directive ................................................................................................................................ 3 2.3 Recast RED II................................................................................................................................... 4 2.3.1 Sustainability Criteria ............................................................................................................................ 4 2.3.2 GHG Calculations .................................................................................................................................. 5 2.3.3 Verification Requirements .................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.4 Other Responsibilities on Member States ............................................................................................ 7 3 IRISH REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES ............................................................................................... 8 3.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 8 3.2 Agricultural Biomass ..................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 The Forestry Act and Forestry Regulations .......................................................................................... 9 3.2.2 The Birds and Natural Habitats Regulations ....................................................................................... 10 3.2.3 Planning and Development Regulations 2001 to 2015 ..................................................................... 11 3.2.4 Wildlife Act .......................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2.5 Other Guidelines and Schemes .......................................................................................................... 12 3.3 Summary – Agricultural Biomass ............................................................................................... 12 3.4 Forest Biomass ............................................................................................................................. 13 3.4.1 The Forestry Act and Forestry Regulations ........................................................................................ 14 3.4.2 Other Guidelines and Schemes .......................................................................................................... 15 4 UK APPROACH .................................................................................................................................... 16 4.1 Overview of UK policies on biomass sustainability ................................................................... 16 4.1.1 The Renewables Obligation (RO) ........................................................................................................ 16 4.1.2 The Feed-in tariff (FIT) ......................................................................................................................... 17 4.1.3 The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) (Non-Domestic) ....................................................................... 17 4.2 Sustainability criteria .................................................................................................................. 18 4.2.1 Land criteria......................................................................................................................................... 18 4.2.2 GHG criteria ......................................................................................................................................... 19 4.3 Sustainability reporting requirements ...................................................................................... 20 4.3.1 The Renewables Obligation (RO) ........................................................................................................ 20 4.3.2 The Feed-in tariff (FIT) ......................................................................................................................... 21 4.3.3 The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) (Non-Domestic) ....................................................................... 21 5 EXAMPLES FROM OTHER MEMBER STATES ...................................................................................... 23 5.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 23 5.2 Belgium ........................................................................................................................................ 24 5.3 Denmark....................................................................................................................................... 24 5.4 Netherlands ................................................................................................................................. 24 5.5 France ........................................................................................................................................... 25 5.6 Germany ....................................................................................................................................... 26 6 GHG CALCULATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 27 6.1 Sources of GHG emissions ........................................................................................................... 28 6.2 RED II GHG emission calculation methodology ......................................................................... 29 6.3 GHG calculators ........................................................................................................................... 30 6.4 Key sources of GHG emissions for biomass supply chains ........................................................ 31 6.5 Default values applicable for the Irish context .......................................................................... 33 6.6 GHG emissions in the Irish context ............................................................................................. 34 6.6.1 Solid biomass fuel chains .................................................................................................................... 36 6.6.2 Gaseous biomass fuel chains .............................................................................................................. 38 6.7 Sensitivity analysis ...................................................................................................................... 40 6.7.1 Perennial energy crops (cultivated in Ireland) ................................................................................... 40 6.7.2 Grass silage for AD .............................................................................................................................. 41 Sustainability Criteria Options and Impacts for Irish Bioenergy Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6.7.3 Co-digestion of feedstocks in AD ....................................................................................................... 42 6.7.4 Forestry residue imports ..................................................................................................................... 44 6.8 Indirect effects ............................................................................................................................. 45 6.8.1 Existing uses of feedstocks ................................................................................................................. 45 6.8.2 Estimated domestic feedstock potential (based on Ricardo, 2016 for SEAI) ..................................... 47 6.8.3 Results from the GLOBIOM study ....................................................................................................... 48 6.9 Carbon debt ................................................................................................................................. 52 7 SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................................... 54 7.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 54 7.2 IEA Bioenergy
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