Orla Stevens
Managing Director, Certa Ireland
Laura Byrne
Head of Sustainable Fuels, Certa Ireland
An Irish energy firm wants to make it easy to transition to a greener future by offering customers various renewable solutions — such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and solar.
Orla Stevens, MD of energy supplier Certa, envisions a greener future for Ireland. One where filling your car up with HVO — a low-carbon biofuel — is an ordinary occurrence. “That means making HVO more accessible,” she says. “Because if people drive to one of our locations and see the pink HVO pump, they’ll use it. It will become ‘the norm.’”
Certa operates a network of forecourts around Ireland and currently offers HVO at 25 of them. Ideally, that number will increase. “This clearly requires investment on our part,” says Stevens. “But we think HVO is the sustainable way forward.”
The big plus is that HVO reduces
carbon emissions by up to 90%.
HVO benefits for motorists and homeowners
Customers certainly give it a big thumbs up. HVO is made from renewable waste fats and vegetable oils and can be used in any diesel engine (no modifications necessary). It’s mixable, too, so the engine doesn’t have to be empty before motorists start filling up.
“The big plus is that HVO reduces carbon emissions by up to 90%,” explains Laura Byrne, Head of Sustainable Fuels. “It’s 100% fossil free, and the performance it gives is exactly the same as diesel, so there’s no compromise in mileage and power. Our fleet runs on it.”
HVO is also used in EcoMax, the company’s lower-carbon blended biofuel for the domestic market, which could help Irish households with liquid fuel heaters lower their home heating carbon emissions by up to 20%.
A full, transparent and traceable chain of custody
HVO demand is also rising on the commercial side. “Our construction industry customers use HVO in their plant machinery and, on the marine side, Dublin Port use it in their pilot boats,” says Byrne. “When businesses transition to it, they don’t go back.” Another benefit is that Certa only buys HVO from suppliers accredited by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), which gives the company a full, transparent and traceable chain of custody and enables it to assign Proof of Sustainability (POS) certification to its clients.
Naturally, the battle against climate change requires a mix of renewable solutions. So, after acquiring renewable energy specialists Alternative Energy Ireland in 2023, the company also offers a solar panel system to its domestic and commercial clients, with a cash-back guarantee if it doesn’t perform as promised. “With renewables, it’s important to give customers options,” says Stevens. “They can then make a decision that suits their lifestyle — or business.”
