The Institute of Technology Sligo (IT Sligo) hosted partners of the AgroRES project for a technical knowledge sharing visit to the west of Ireland in October of 2021.
The EU INTERREG funded AgroRES project aims to inform policy improvement for the uptake and generation of renewable energy in the agricultural and rural sectors.
Project partners and their stakeholders from Ireland, England, Spain, Italy, Finland, Romania and Poland participated. They visited a Biomass Heating installation in the Dempsey Family Poultry Farm, near Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo, and Biocore Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plant in Tibohine, Co. Roscommon.
Martin Dempsey is one of the early adopters of the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH), using wood fuel to replace fossil fuel heating for the poultry farm. 
The Biocore AD plant is a prime example of Circular Economy in practice, treating a waste material and recovering energy in biogas to generate electricity and produce organic fertiliser.
Commenting, R&D Coordinator – Contract Research Unit at IT Sligo, Mel Gavin, said that as Climate Policy continues to emerge and evolve, sharing knowledge through the AgroRES project will help guide farmers on the more appropriate solutions for them.
He said: “Our aim with the AgroRES project is to work directly with farmers to help them understand what technologies will work best for them as climate action policies continue to evolve. Farms can play a much bigger role in the clean energy transition.”
IT Sligo, the Northern & Western Regional Assembly and Teagasc are currently piloting a two-day training course for farm advisors based on the Good Practices identified in the AgroRES project. The aim of the training is to help farmers make better decisions for energy investments on their farms.