Apologies from the Ice-Blogger for a lack of news over the past couple of weeks. I have been away on climate-related business, visiting a couple of renewable energy projects, one in southern, one in northern Ireland.
The first involves a resource that is more than common in Ireland:

These are graduate scientists from University College Dublin, out in the field at Oak Park, the National Centre for Arable Crops Research, near Carlow. They are monitoring the progress of different types of grass, with the ultimate aim of finding out whether they can be used viably to produce energy in the form of bio-gas. I’ll have a bit more to say about this and Ireland’s attempts to reduce emissions by using bio-energy soon. I talked to Dr. John Finnan from the Centre, Dr. Cara Augustenborg from UCD (you may remember Cara as the Irish “climate ambassador” on the Climate Change College Arctic field trip) and Professor Christoph Müller, from UCD.I also talked to the researchers pictured here braving the wet and windy Irish weather.
There’s more information on the UCD projects here:

More information on the UCD bioenergy project

The Centre’s website is also worth a click:
Oak Park Crop Research Website

More on this and the project in northern Ireland, which involves the world’s first commercially viable tidal generator, located in Strangford Lough, over the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, thanks to Donna for encouraging comments on the Ice Blog, and to my Irish colleague Mary P. (let me know if you’re happy for your name to be mentioned), a committed environment journalist I met on my trip, who also tells me she likes the blog.Thanks for some interesting conversations on the state of the planet and just how much of the land we would have to use if we wanted to supply Ireland with electricity from biomass, Mary. You are a kindred spirit and I look forward to a continuing exchange of views.
More on the “Irish Projects” soon…