Treading Lightly at CAFRE

23 July 2007
Gary Connolly, Senior Lecturer (Engineering), Greenmount Campus, CAFRE

The term “carbon footprint” is now a widely used term but to what does it refer? Put simply, an organisation’s carbon footprint is a measure of how much carbon it is responsible for discharging into the atmosphere. The discharge of the carbon can be direct e.g. through burning heating oil or using fuel in vehicles or it may be indirect, for example through the use of electricity generated from a carbon fuel such as coal. An organisation can reduce its carbon footprint in two primary ways, namely through becoming more energy efficient and secondly by making more use of renewable energy sources.

CAFRE has been proactive in both reducing overall energy consumption and investigating a range of renewable energy technologies. One such technology is the use of biodiesel in vehicles such as cars, vans and tractors. CAFRE has set a target of increasing its use of biodiesel to 25 percent of the total consumption of diesel by the end of 2008.  In a step towards achieving this target, the engineering team at Greenmount Campus is evaluating the use of 100 percent biodiesel in College vehicles. One of the farm utility vehicles is already using 100 percent biodiesel and shortly an evaluation by National Diploma students of two biodiesel-powered tractors will commence.

For those interested in finding out more about energy efficiency and renewable energy technology there is a in CAFRE/Industry Open Day at Loughry Campus on Thursday 23 August. Further information can be obtained from Nigel Moore at Greenmount Campus, telephone 028 9442 6648 or email: nigel.moore@dardni.gov.uk

Trade stand space is available at no charge for those involved in the renewables sector. If you wish to book trade space, please contact Julie Casson, Action Renewables, email: julie.casson@actionrenewables.org

David Gregg, Fleet Manager at Greenmount Campus, CAFRE in the biodiesel-fuelled Land Rover with Gary Connolly, Senior Lecturer at Greenmount and Richard Kane, manufacturer of biodiesel. The biodiesel has been produced from a crop of oil seed rape grown at Loughry Campus.