A BORD GAIS REPORT says that a significant amount of Ireland’s demand for natural gas could be fulfilled by using unusual fuels like grass, animal manure, and municipal waste.

The report, commissioned by the energy provider and carried out by a team from University College Cork and by Ernst & Young, believes the ‘green tech’ sector in Ireland could be boosted by using alternative fuels to create biomethane.

The ‘grass to gas’ process, as they have named it, could provide 7.5% of Ireland’s natural gas requirements – providing enough fuel to heat 300,000 homes every year.

Bord Gais is so enthusiastic with the study’s findings that it believes refining such a process could make a significant dent in solving Ireland’s renewable energy problems, as well as helping to manage the country’s waste.

The technology has already been used to great effect in Germany and Denmark where farmer-run co-operatives pay for the building and operation of gas facilities.

Bord Gais says that while translating the technology to Ireland would not be straightforward, any hitches could be overcome reasonably quickly.

The notion of using agricultural droppings for the production of methane is not necessarily a new one; agriculture is responsible for about 14% of the world’s greenhouse gases, the majority of which is produced by flatulent cows.

Yesterday, the BBC reported on how shops in Britain throw away about 1.6m tonnes of food every year – proving that there is a significant body of organic waste that could be used for biomethane production.