The role of incentivising biomethane in Ireland using anaerobic digestion
This study uses technical, economic and environmental analyses to fully understand incentivisation requirements for successful implementation of a biomethane industry in Ireland. The analysis generates a production cost, a levelised cost of energy (LCOE) and the level of incentivisation needed for biomethane systems to prosper.
Based on these computed incentives, different successful renewable energy policies and associated incentivisation levels across the EU were assessed. In addition, different incentivisation mechanisms were considered, including carbon tax, the excess cost of renewable energy over fossil energy to avoid a tCO2 and the level of incentives based on tCO2 avoided.
The main aims of this study were as follows:
- estimate the biomethane production cost using feedstocks from urban, rural and coastal environments;
- calculate the amount of financial incentives required to reach a break-even point;
- assess various renewable energy policies in the EU and compare them with suggested biomethane incentives.