Engineers TV

The national biomethane conference 2024 is a timely stakeholder engagement to support the implementation of the National Biomethane Strategy. 

'Ireland Biomethane – pathway to 2030', is organised by Renewable Gas Forum Ireland in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, and KPMG.

Keen to invest

At a recent RGFI meeting, KPMG reported that it has seen biomethane go from a niche market to mainstream and, across the EU, the investor/finance sector is keen to invest. 

It commented on how the government is now committed to supporting biomethane and that investors are mobilising with domestic and international developers getting involved ahead of policy being formalised.

Corporates, including pharma, are being driven by their net zero targets to 2030. Some corporates invested heavily in gas boilers in 2015 and will want to make full use of them through biomethane rather than electrifying.

RGFI has worked with KPMG since 2019, producing 'An Integrated Business Case for Biomethane in Ireland', which laid the foundation for government confidence in the value and feasibility of biomethane production to decarbonise industry thermal processes.

KPMG has also supported RGFI’s work on agrifood industry collaboration through Project Clover. This work and the united voice provided by RGFI for the whole biomethane industry has brought biomethane to the fore as a central part of Ireland’s decarbonisation effort, as well as supporting the circular bioeconomy and adding to the country’s future energy security.

Construction of 150-200 large-scale AD biomethane plants

The national target of 5.7TWh biomethane production by 2030 will require the construction of 150-200 large-scale AD biomethane plants and some are already through the planning process.

The task requires mobilisation across the technology sector and provides an exciting opportunity for many engineering businesses.

And the opportunity does not stop at biomethane production as there is growing realisation that the co-products of digestate fertiliser and biogenic CO₂ have a strong role to play in valorisation and the demand for both co-products is high.

“There is real urgency in consolidating a national infrastructure to allow the bio-renewables technology industry to develop across Ireland ”, said Seamus Crickley,  director of WEW Engineering Ltd, and an RGFI board member. He is very proactive in the EU Biomethane Industrial Partnership and European Biogas Association working groups, to accelerate biomethane production across Europe.

“Fundamentals to be integrated into on-site bio-energy systems are sustainable digestate recovery as fertiliser, CO₂ separation for reuse, and design to accommodate high planning and licence demands, with the ultimate objectives of reduced GHG and CF," said Crickley.

"The system design ideal is at least carbon neutral and should support the Circular Economy Action Programme (CEAP) of the EU. We also urgently need a clear definition of bio-fertilisers and a certification system in place.”

Consultant engineers, WEW Engineering Ltd are RGFI members, focused on sustainable, energy efficient water and wastewater treatment. 

A concerted effort with collaboration and information exchange is required, across government and industry to meet the national biomethane decarbonisation target within the time frame and to establish the industry.

The Ireland Biomethane Conference will facilitate such collaboration and exchange, with the afternoon programme devoted to focussed presentations and round-table discussions on the topics of Technology and Construction; Sustainability; Financing; and Planning and Licensing.

Ministers from both DAFM and DECC (Charlie McConalogue and Eamon Ryan) have confirmed they will be speaking at the Conference on June 12, and the line-up includes leading industrialists, suppliers, operators, farming interests and advisors such as Future Biogas, Nephin Energy, GNI, KPMG Sustainable Futures, Entrust and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association.

'All-island'

The conference is 'all-island' and will consider the potential for a shared approach going forward with input from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.

'Ireland Biomethane – pathway to 2030', June 12, Croke Park, Dublin.

Siemens Building Products has won the ‘Technical Innovation of the Year’ category in the biggest awards scheme for the building controls and BEMS (Building & Energy Management System) industry. 

L to R: Ellie Taylor, Martin Craig, head of sales for Siemens Comfort; Tony Went, regional sales manager for Siemens Comfort; Simon Parker, managing director of CIBSE.

Siemens Wireless Room Solution won the hotly contested product category, sponsored by CIBSE, as one of six finalists at the BCIA (Building Controls Industry Association) Awards dinner at The Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on May 2, 2024.

It was the first time the awards have been presented at this venue which saw almost 500 people attend the annual celebration of innovation, product development, project delivery and training in this important sector of the construction industry.

Expanding IoT range

The Wireless Room Solution from Siemens features three new sensors as part of the company’s ongoing development of the company’s expanding IoT range.

The battery-operated sensors allow quick and easy installation to provide important monitoring of indoor air quality (IAQ), with three options available: temperature only; temperature and relative humidity; temperature, relative humidity and CO2.

With buildings being repurposed and reconfigured, the capability for ease of installation or relocation of sensors to meet new requirements without damaging walls and ceilings through re-wiring is a particular advantage.

With CO2 being an excellent indicator of IAQ, the new sensor offers a measurement accuracy of +/-2%. Open interfaces are key in enabling more intelligent room devices and building solutions.

The new sensors communicate wirelessly through Thread – an open source, mesh networking, IP-based protocol – meaning they operate seamlessly, either with Siemens own BMS, such as the popular Desigo system, or with those of other manufacturers.

'Fast and easy to deploy'

Entrants were required to provide a testimonial from a product user and the comment on the Wireless Room Solution recognised that it was “…fast and easy to deploy with continuous data reporting capabilities, automated alarms and no line of sight required…enabling installation of 20 room sensors in a single day”.

The awards were hosted by comedian Ellie Taylor, with funds raised for Carers UK, the charity nominated by new BCIA president, Stacey Lucas.

Sachin Penukonda from Siemens was also one of the nominees in the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ category which was ultimately won by Anya Turner of Schneider Electric.

Ron Purcell, product manager for Siemens Building Products, UK and Ireland, said: “We are naturally delighted to win such a prestigious award. Innovation is so important in continuing to drive forward improvements in creating healthy, energy efficient and productive building environments so to win this category is particularly pleasing.”

The standard BS 9124, which applies to steel and aluminium access covers for chamber openings greater than 1 metre x 1 metre, is less well known than the EN 124 standard it complements. However, the design criteria required to be in conformance to BS 9124 demonstrates why utility providers are insisting on its full compliance.

 

Attention to safety is critical when selecting steel access solutions whose purpose is to facilitate the safe extraction of equipment from a chamber, safeguard operators and maintenance personnel while doing so, and protect assets over the long term. 

Awareness of the key safety elements in the design of BS 9124 compliant covers will aid you in the correct specification in line with industry guidance documents.

These relate to:

Anti-Skid surface: A critical safety requirement is that covers have a suitably coarse skid resistant upper surface with a Polished Slip Resistance Value (PSRV) of greater than 40 rendering them safe to use under foot and wheel traffic. 

Fall Protection Safety Grids are required to pass a Drop Test*, where the grid must be capable of withstanding a 140kg mass applied over a footprint of 300x200mm that is dropped from a height of 2 meters onto any point on the grid. This simulates (and exceeds) the vertical impact of a human being falling onto the grid, at any point onto an area similar in size to their footprint. (EN 124 does not refer to safety grids or testing.)

Safety Stay bars: The hinged covers shall be fitted with a positive safety stay mechanism to prevent unintentional closure and keep it stable in the open position. Positive stay mechanism shall be capable of resisting a minimum horizontal force of 250 kg. This protects the operators when accessing the chamber in adverse weather where the wind is a threat.

Welder’s accreditations: Mandatory under the standard is the requirement for welders and fabricators to be qualified to the BS 267-1 standard and tested annually. This helps safeguard against varying standards in production that can occur.

*When approving access covers with fall protection request a Drop Test report to ensure safety girds comply fully to the requirements of the standard. 

Pipelife develops, manufactures and distributes advanced PP, PVC and PE plastic pipe systems, something we have been doing under various names since 1947.

By leveraging globally unique identification and data exchange standards, GS1 can bring visibility, traceability and certainty to building and asset information for the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and facilities management industries.

GS1 standards and identifiers make the entire building lifecycle more efficient from design through to procurement, commissioning, handover, ongoing maintenance and recycling.

Creating the future of digital facilities management

Many large building operators are currently transitioning older buildings into new, more modern digital hubs. Facilities management processes are becoming more streamlined, with remote access to Building Management Systems (BMS) and other platforms.

Using GS1 identifiers to identify people, places, assets and products, builds an interactive, digital picture of a building’s life from the electro-mechanical units fitted, to their service and replacement history.

Additionally, the asset’s location within the building, the warranty and maintenance instructions, combined with links to further sources of data online, such as replacement parts and instructional videos or sustainability data (EPDs), create a digital picture (or digital twin) of a building and its constituent parts.