Energy Sources
Peat
Also Known As Turf The traditional Irish name for peat cut and dried for fuel, used interchangeably with peat in accounts of Irish fuel history.
Fossil Fuel
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The surface organic layer of waterlogged soils, made of partially decomposed plant matter that accumulated where oxygen and nutrients were scarce, cut and dried as a traditional fuel for centuries. It has been an important local and regional energy source in Finland, Ireland and Sweden, burned in heating plants and in combined heat and power stations alongside wood, though its use for energy is now being phased out.
Facts
Disputed
Source ClassPeat renews, but far more slowly than it is burned, so classifications differ on whether to group it with fossil fuels or with biomass. The International Peatland Society reports its use for energy being phased out in Ireland and Finland. First Commercial YearThe first industrial-scale peat harvesting operation began at Mona Bog beside the Shannon, Ireland, in 1825; peat had already been cut and burned domestically for centuries before this. Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Ireland Energy 2050
Peat, PastQuote, Peat, Past
The first industrial-scale harvesting of hand-won peat or turf took place in 1825 at Mona Bog beside the Shannon.
1. Ireland Energy 2050
2. International Peatland Society
International Peatland SocietyWhat is peat?Quote, What is peat?
Peat is the surface organic layer of a soil that consists of partially decomposed organic matter, derived mostly from plant material, which has accumulated under conditions of waterlogging, oxygen deficiency, high acidity and nutrient deficiency.
2. International Peatland Society
International Peatland SocietyPeat for heat and powerQuote, Peat for heat and power
Peat has been an important local or regional energy source in Finland, Ireland and Sweden
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Coal, Coal, OriginQuote, Associated With: Coal, Coal, Origin
Peat, a precursor of coal
Frequently Asked Questions
Is peat a fossil fuel?
Classifications differ: peat is not literally a fossil fuel but renews too slowly to count as an ordinary renewable, so some inventories group it as one anyway.
Sources differ. Peat accumulates from partially decomposed plant matter in waterlogged bogs, and unlike coal, oil and natural gas it is still forming today, so some classifications group it with renewable biomass rather than fossil fuels. But peat regrows far more slowly than it is harvested for fuel, which is why other classifications, including several national greenhouse-gas inventories, count it alongside fossil fuels instead. The International Peatland Society reports that Ireland and Finland are phasing out its use for energy amid this reclassification and the sector's declining economics.
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