Peat, also known as turf, is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers 3.7 million square kilometres (1.4 million square miles) and is the most efficient carbon sink on the planet, because peatland plants capture carbon dioxide (CO2) naturally released from the peat, maintaining an equilibrium. In natural peatlands, the "annual rate of biomass production is greater than the rate of decomposition", but it takes "thousands of years for peatlands to develop the deposits of 1.5 to 2.3 m [4.9 to 7.5 ft], which is the average depth of the boreal [northern] peatlands", which store around 415 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon (about 46 times 2019 global CO2 emissions). Globally, peat stores up to 550 Gt of carbon, 42% of all soil carbon, which exceeds the carbon stored in all other vegetation types, including the world's forests, although it covers just 3% of the land's surface. Sphagnum moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most common components in peat, although many other plants can contribute. The biological features of sphagnum mosses act to create a habitat aiding peat formation, a phenomenon termed 'habitat manipulation'. Soils consisting primarily of peat are known as histosols. Peat forms in wetland conditions, where flooding or stagnant water obstructs the flow of oxygen from the atmosphere, slowing the rate of decomposition. Peat properties such as organic matter content and saturated hydraulic conductivity can exhibit high spatial heterogeneity.
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain. Offaly County Council is the local authority for the county. The county population was 77,961 at the 2016 census.
The Electricity Supply Board is a state owned electricity company operating in Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concern in a "liberalised" and competitive market. It is a statutory corporation whose members are appointed by the Government of Ireland.
Bord na Móna, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company began developing the peatlands of Ireland with the aim to provide economic benefit for Irish Midland communities and achieve security of energy supply for the recently formed Irish Republic. The development of peatlands involved the mechanised harvesting of peat, which took place primarily in the Midlands of Ireland.
Ferbane is a town on the north bank of the River Brosna in County Offaly, Ireland, between Birr and Athlone at the junction of the N62 National secondary road and the R436 regional road. The name of the town is said to come from the white bog cotton which grows in the surrounding Bog of Allen.
Angra Nuclear Power Plant is Brazil's only nuclear power plant. It is located at the Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto (CNAAA) on the Itaorna Beach in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It consists of two Pressurized water reactors, Angra I, with a net output of 609 MWe, first connected to the power grid in 1985 and Angra II, with a net output of 1,275 MWe, connected in 2000.
Shannonbridge is a village located on the River Shannon, at the junction of the R444 and R357 regional roads in County Offaly, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Raghra, at the borders of counties Offaly, Galway and Roscommon, with the majority of the population living east of the bridge in County Offaly. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 175. There are two housing estates within the village. Its location along Ireland's largest river and its proximity to Clonmacnoise have contributed to tourism being a key contributor to the local economy. The village is flanked by a Special Area of Conservation – the Shannon Callows. The physical environment consists of the River Shannon, callows, boglands and the Esker Riada. The village has one of the oldest bridges still in use over the River Shannon, completed in 1757.
Allenwood is a small Irish village in County Kildare situated on the Grand Canal. Allenwood is located about 47.3 km (29.4 mi) from Dublin and halfway between Rathangan and Clane in north County Kildare. According to the CSO, Allenwood had a total population of 981 inhabitants as of the 2016 census, an increase from 845 in the 2011 census. The main road through Allenwood is the R403 and the village is within 20 km (12 mi) of both the M4 and M7 motorways.
Pollagh, also spelled Pullough, is a village in County Offaly, Ireland, located in the midlands of Ireland. It is a rural village on the Grand Canal and lies between Ferbane and Tullamore. Much of the surrounding area is bogland, and is used to produce fossil fuels such as peat turf. The River Brosna flows close to the village. The Grand Canal was used for transporting peat and bricks produced in the area. Pollagh benefited from the canal in earlier years when it brought investment and employment from Bord na Móna, and it is now a tourist attraction. Pollagh is also known for its church, including its bog oak altar and stained glass windows, designed by the Harry Clarke studios.
Rhode is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated on the R400 at its junction with the R441 which leads to Edenderry, 12 km to the east. Rhode village is on an "island" of high ground surrounded by an expanse of raised bog which forms part of the Bog of Allen.
Pure Mule was an Irish six-part drama mini-series aimed at a young audience and broadcast on RTÉ Two as part of RTÉ's autumn schedule in 2005, shot and screened in 2004–2005 in County Offaly.
The Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway was a narrow-gauge railway and former tourist attraction in the Midlands of Ireland. Primarily built as an industrial line for hauling newly cut peat, this 3 ft narrow-gauge railway was operated by the peat-harvesting company Bord na Móna and conveyed visitors over a 9-km line running through Blackwater Bog, near Shannonbridge, County Offaly. A small diesel locomotive hauled a single 53-seat passenger coach.
The Chalk Point Generating Station is a 2,647-MWe electricity-generating plant owned by NRG Energy, located near the tiny incorporated town of Eagle Harbor, Maryland, United States, on the Patuxent River.
Corby Power Station is a 350 MWe gas-fired power station on Mitchell Road (A6116) in the north-east of Corby in Northamptonshire. It is near the Rockingham racetrack.
The electricity sectors of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are integrated and supply 2.5 million customers from a combination of coal, peat, natural gas, wind and hydropower. In 2018 natural gas produced 51.8%, while wind turbines generated 28.1%, coal 7%, and peat 6.8% of Ireland's average electricity demand. In 2020 wind turbines generated 36.3% of Ireland's electrical demand, one of the highest wind power proportions in the world.
Bellacorick or Bellacoric is a townland in County Mayo in Ireland. It is in the Electoral Division of Glenco, in Civil Parish of Kilcommon, in the Barony of Erris, in the County of Mayo. Bellacorick has an area of: 2,789,440 m2 / 278.94 hectares / 2.7894 km2. Bellacorick borders the following other townlands: Killsallagh to the west; Moneynierin to the east; Muingaghel to the south; Srahnakilly to the north.
Lough Ree Power Station was a large peat-fired power station in Lanesborough, in Ireland. The station generated up 100 MWe of power, ranking as the third largest peat-fired power station in the country after West Offaly Power Station at 150 MWe and Edenderry Power Station at 120 MWe. The power station was constructed as a replacement to the ageing 85 MWe Lanesborough power station. The plant closed on 18 December 2020.
Edenderry Power Station is a large peat and biomass-fired power station at the Cushaling river near Edenderry, in the Republic of Ireland. The station is capable of generating up to 120 MWe of power, It has been owned by Bord na Móna since 2006 and is part of the Powergen Division. It was purchased from E.ON in December 2005. Trials of co-fuelling the plant with biomass commenced in 2007 and were successful. As of 2020, the plant is co-fired with about 62% biomass, of which 336,000 energy tonnes is Irish. The station has a target of 100% biomass by 2023. The ash is sent by rail and deposited at the adjacent Cloncreen bog near Clonbullogue.
Ireland is a net energy importer. Ireland's import dependency decreased to 85% in 2014. The cost of all energy imports to Ireland was approximately €5.7 billion, down from €6.5 billion (revised) in 2013 due mainly to falling oil and, to a lesser extent, gas import prices. Consumption of all fuels fell in 2014 with the exception of peat, renewables and non-renewable wastes.
