In Ireland, peat—a carbon-rich soil harvested from drained bogs—has been used for centuries to warm homes and fire whiskey distilleries. For a country with little coal, oil, and gas, peat—deep layers of partially decayed moss and other plant matter—is also a ready fuel for power plants. Peat power peaked in the 1960s, providing 40% of Ireland9s electricity. But peat is particularly polluting. Burning it for electricity emits more carbon dioxide than coal, and nearly twice as much as natural gas. In 2016, peat generated nearly 8% of Ireland9s electricity, but was responsible for 20% of that sector9s carbon emissions. Peat power is now being phased out. By the end of 2019, the Irish government will eliminate all of the roughly €100 million in annual industry subsidies it now pays for peat-generated electricity. Bord na Mona, a company that supplies peat to the three remaining power stations burning it for electricity, announced in October that it would cut its peat supply for electricity by a third by 2020 and end it completely by 2027. Ireland will need to find alternative, lower carbon sources of electricity. And the approximately 60 bogs no longer needed for fuel will undergo rehabilitation, some converted back to wetlands and others put to commercial uses such as land for wind farms.

中文翻译：

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爱尔兰削减泥炭发电以降低排放

在爱尔兰，泥炭——一种从干涸的沼泽中收获的富含碳的土壤——几个世纪以来一直被用来为家庭取暖和点燃威士忌酒厂。对于一个煤炭、石油和天然气很少的国家来说，泥炭——部分腐烂的苔藓和其他植物物质的深层——也是发电厂的现成燃料。泥炭发电在 1960 年代达到顶峰，提供了爱尔兰 40% 的电力。但泥炭污染特别严重。燃烧它发电所排放的二氧化碳比煤炭多，几乎是天然气的两倍。2016 年，泥炭产生了爱尔兰近 8% 的电力，但占该部门碳排放量的 20%。泥炭发电现在正在逐步淘汰。到 2019 年底，爱尔兰政府将取消现在为泥炭发电支付的大约 1 亿欧元的年度行业补贴。Bord na Mona, 一家为剩余的三个发电站提供泥炭发电的公司，于 10 月宣布，到 2020 年将减少三分之一的泥炭电力供应，并在 2027 年完全结束。爱尔兰将需要寻找替代的低碳能源的电。大约 60 个不再需要燃料的沼泽将进行修复，一些沼泽被改造成湿地，另一些则用于商业用途，例如风电场用地。