Grantstown Nurseries install biomass boiler
A second-generation tomato grower moves away from using fossil fuels to renewable heat to heat the glass houses.
Background
David Currid, a second-generation tomato grower, took over the Grantstown Nurseries in 1988 from his father. The family began operating the nursery in County Waterford in 1978. The nursery supplies Irish grown tomatoes to supermarkets around the country and sells its own brand locally too.
The project
Growing tomatoes in Ireland is an energy intensive business. Tomato seeds need a warm environment, ideally between 15-25°C (59-77°F) for germination. Success relies on managing temperature, humidity, and providing proper support and nutrition. In 2014, David switched from using oil to natural gas to heat the greenhouses. Then when the energy crisis hit in 2022 and his energy bills began to increase, David decided to explore alternative fuel sources.
“We have one hectare of modern glass houses. We would use about 300 kW of thermal heat per square meter. We really had to look at ways of both reducing that input and finding a more sustainable source of energy that would give us cost efficiencies. That's why the SSRH scheme fits nicely into our energy consumption profile,” David explained.
After discovering the SEAI Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH), David decided to apply. The scheme offers financial support to help businesses transition from fossil fuels to renewable heating.
The SSRH process
David spoke to the SSRH team at SEAI to discuss his options. He needed something that would work for his business and budget. With the biomass boiler, SEAI offers an operational tariff that will support the operation of your renewable heating system for up to 15 years. The tariff is based on useable heat output in renewable heating systems. David had sufficient space on site for the biomass boiler and decided this was the best option for him.
With support from an SEAI expert consultant, David formed a plan of action to apply for the SSRH’s biomass tariff scheme. The scheme provides quarterly tariff payments based on heat use across 15 years, almost all of the biomass boiler’s expected lifetime. SEAI determined an annual heat cap and tariff for Grantstown Nursery based on the expected heat utilisation from the biomass boiler through the course of the application.
“The SSRH scheme is quite complex, so you need to do your homework,” he explains. The application process takes time as SEAI is required to carry out a lot of checks during the application process.”
Making space on-site for a biomass boiler
Applicants must consider that they will need space on their site to accommodate the biomass boiler and storage for the fuel.
“Our site is quite confined here, but we had an area where we had some old oil tanks that we removed and we were able to build a purpose-built shed that was ideally suited for the new wood pellet boiler. And that worked really well,” said David.
“Anything that we can do to kind of build the story around sustainable production of food has to be seen as a positive. We have no regrets about installing the boiler. We're very happy and long may it continue.”
Tariff payment from SEAI
To keep receiving the tariff over the 15-year period, David must meet periodic requirements that confirm the biomass system runs efficiently and uses renewable fuel.
However, David says “there was nothing that was insurmountable. It took a little bit of time. Certainly, the benefits are well worth enduring a little bit of pain along the way.
Results
Grantstown Nurseries receives a quarterly tariff payment from SEAI after submitting its energy meter readings. “We upload our meter readings every quarter. The payments arrive the following month. Since our tariff has started being paid, it has been rolled out seamlessly. No issues.”
In terms of energy savings, installing the biomass boiler and claiming the SSRH tariff has reduced David’s fuel bills by more than a third. The initial upfront investment costs were paid back in just a few years. Their payback period was just 3.25 years.
From a business point of view, David appreciates the fact that he can say they’re producing Irish tomatoes on the island of Ireland with virtually no carbon footprint.
“Anything that we can do to kind of build the story around sustainable production of food has to be seen as a positive. We have no regrets about installing the boiler. We're very happy and long may it continue.”
Why choose biomass?
Compared to fossil fuels, biomass doesn't have the same volatility in the market. It can provide a more stable fuel cost and in fact it's often a cheaper alternative to the fossil fuel that is available for the end user, especially when the SSRH tariff is included. Fuel can be sourced locally, which gives a secure supply of renewable heat for the company and enables them to promote their green credentials and meet their own environmental targets.
The commonly used fuels for biomass heating systems on the SSRH are wood pellets and wood chips. Biomass wood fuel used in SSRH installations must come from suppliers accredited through the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) Scheme, which establishes the renewable aspect of the fuel and ensures the quality of the product. WFQA accredited wood fuels are widely available on the open market all around Ireland and suppliers can be checked on their website.
Find out more about SSRH