Ecopower | News Archives

Supporting Ireland’s Energy Transition with Battery Storage Solution

05th Dec 2024

Wind and solar power are central to Ireland’s shift away from fossil-fuel-based electricity generation. However, these renewable energy sources need to be stored for periods when wind and sunlight are unavailable, according to Clare Duffy of ESB.

While wind and solar energy are significantly helping reduce Ireland’s carbon emissions, they present a key challenge: intermittency. The wind doesn’t always blow, and the sun doesn’t always shine. So, the question arises: how can we meet electricity demand when renewable energy sources aren’t fully available?

“One way to address this is by storing excess renewable energy in large-scale batteries,” says Clare Duffy. “There are times when renewable energy generation exceeds the country’s demand, such as on windy or sunny days. By developing storage capacity, companies like ESB can store this surplus energy and have it available to supply power instantly when needed, ensuring a stable electricity supply.”

She further explains that ESB envisions a secure, net-zero energy system for Ireland by 2050, which will rely on three main components: renewable energy, energy storage, and traditional backup generation. This integrated approach will not only improve energy security by reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels from unstable regions but also support the growth of domestically produced energy. “Essentially, we’re swapping geopolitical risk for meteorological risk, meaning backup technologies will always be necessary to complement renewable energy,” she adds.

As part of ESB’s strategy to reach net-zero by 2040, Duffy and her team are exploring investment opportunities to build energy storage systems, grid services, and backup generation facilities. These will ensure Ireland’s energy security in the near-to-medium term and help integrate renewable energy more effectively in the long term.

Source: The Irish Times

Wind Energy Ireland slams “anti-wind” development plans

29th Nov 2024

Wind Energy Ireland has argued that ‘anti-wind’ development plans are hindering the country’s progress toward its climate goals.

CEO Noel Cunniffe emphasized that planning is the most significant obstacle to reducing reliance on fossil fuels. He pointed out that the Planning Bill could help improve the situation, highlighting that only one wind farm was approved between July and September this year.

“This means only 13% of the capacity needed for that period was approved, which is far from what we need to achieve our 2030 targets,” Cunniffe said.

He explained that the combination of insufficient resources at An Bord Pleanála for renewable energy projects and county development plans that oppose wind energy would result in Ireland remaining dependent on imported fossil fuels for a longer period.

Cunniffe called for the Planning and Development Bill to be supported with additional resources.

“The Planning and Development Bill has the potential to accelerate the delivery of more wind energy projects,” he said. “It establishes mandatory decision timelines for both An Bord Pleanála and planning authorities. However, new legislation alone won’t be effective without more resources in the planning sector and amendments to county development plans to support renewable energy.”

In the third quarter of this year, two applications were denied, and 31 additional projects are still awaiting decisions.

Build Our Grid – Email Your Candidates Now

27th Nov 2024

The Build Our Grid campaign is appealing to everyone to email this general election’s candidates to request them to make building a stronger, reniforced electricity grid an election priority. We want our represtatives to support the implementation of EirGrid’s Shaping Our Electricity Future to build new grid infranstructure and to campaign for the delivery of the North-South Interconnector and other key grid infranstructure projects. Encourage friends, colleagues and family to join the cause to make a big impact.

Click the link below for map of election candidates:

Take action – Make the grid an election priority

Why Ireland needs to speed up development of onshore wind

16th Oct 2024

Britain’s new Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, was only 72 hours into his new job when he lifted the British ban on onshore wind farms. A week later, he announced a new taskforce, bringing together industry and Government, to accelerate onshore wind delivery. By the start ofAugust, it was already at work.
It is frustratingto see that level offocus in Britain while, in Ireland, the development of onshore wind energy meets barrier after barrier. Unlike Britain, we are already a leader in onshore wind energy. Our country’s wind farms provide a greater annual share of our electricity demand than any other in Europe, but the pace of delivery of new projects is slowing down.
Our country’s windfarms provide a greater annual share of our electricity demand than any other in Europe.
A report published by Wind Energy Ireland in July shows that we are only getting around a quarter ofthe projects we need to match our energy targets through An Bord Pleanála. Many ofthe projects recently approved by the Board have already been challenged in the courts.
Fewer projects mean higher energy prices for Irish families and millions more spent to import expensive fossil fuels. We need to build onshore wind farms, offshore, new solar farms and battery projects and reinforce the electricity grid in just a few years. Our planningsystem is simply not fit for purpose to achieve this.
The Government has established a taskforce to accelerate the delivery ofonshore renewable energy, and it must prioritise fixing the planning system.
We have seen other countries do this by applying new EU regulations like the RED III Directive with Germany, for example,now granting planning permission to 1,000
megawatts of onshore wind every month. In Ireland, instead ofthis acceleration, County Councils are zoning land to preventthe development of wind energy, including incidents where the local authority changed the zoning of land to prevent a wind farm from being built after it was announced or had applied for planning.
There is a conflict between national and EU energy policy (to provide the affordable, clean, secure energy Irish people want) and County Development Plans, which, in some places, have been designed to block the development of new wind farms. Resolving this conflict needs to be as much a priority for the Irish Government as speeding up the development ofonshore wind farms is for Minister Ed Miliband.

source: Justin Moran, Director of External Affairs, Wind Energy Ireland

Ecopower’s Pat Brett on Midwest Radio

27th Sep 2024

click here to hear the interview with Ecopower director Pat Brett on Midwest Radio lunchtime news 26/09/24,discussing Vodafone becoming first telco to sign Corporate Power Purchase Agreement

Vodafone first telco to sign Corporate Power Purchase Agreement here

27th Sep 2024

Photo – Brian McHugh (Managing Director at Vantage Towers Ireland), Amanda Nelson (Vodafone Ireland CEO), James Temple (Renewables Manager at Flogas) and Pat Brett, Director at Derrynadivva Wind Farm in Co Mayo

Vodafone Ireland has signed a new Corporate Power Purchasing Agreement (CPPA) with energy supplier Flogas, along with its infrastructure partner Vantage Towers – the first telco in Ireland to sign such an agreement.

The new deal allows Vodafone to directly purchase renewable electricity from the Derrynadivva Wind Farm in Mayo.

Vodafone’s investment of €6m in the initiative is part of the company’s sustainability goals to achieve net zero across its full value chain by 2040.

The energy secured within today’s deal gives Vodafone access to clean, high quality and affordable renewable electricity for its extensive network of cables that deliver mobile and fixed services to customers across the country.

As part of this agreement, the company’s infrastructure partners, Vantage Towers, will also receive renewable energy from the Derrynadivva Wind Farm.

Amanda Nelson, CEO at Vodafone Ireland, said that today’s announcement is an investment in Ireland and its renewable energy industry, adding that it was a significant step towardsthe company’s own ambitious net zero targets.

Brian McHugh, Managing Director at Vantage Towers Ireland, said the company’s infrastructure network is totally powered by renewable energy, in line with its global ESG agenda.

“Sustainability is a necessity, and this agreement with Flogas is a further commitment to minimising the impact of our business on the environment, and a continued investment in Ireland’s natural generating capability,” he added.

James Temple, Renewables Manager at Flogas, said the CPPA with Vodafone Ireland underscores the accelerating commitment of Irish companies to increase their use of carbon-free energy and lead in renewable energy adoption.

“As a leading provider of clean energy CPPAs, Flogas is dedicated to enhancing the economic feasibility of renewable projects and advancing Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon economy,” he added.

“By delivering clean, renewable wind energy to some of the nation’s largest companies, we are not only helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also supporting these businesses in their commitment to more efficient and responsible energy consumption,” Pat Brett, Director at Derrynadivva Wind Farm, stated.

Source: rte.ie

Wind supplied 35pc of Ireland’s electricity so far this year

02nd Jul 2024

Wind remains an important part of Ireland’s energy grid, though its contributions fluctuate significantly month by month.

Wind energy supplied 35pc of Ireland’s electricity needs in the first five months of this year, while Cork became the leading county in terms of wind production last month.

That’s according to a new report from Wind Energy Ireland, which shows that wind energy remains an important and growing part of Ireland’s electricity grid – though it has some significant fluctuations.

While wind supplied 35pc of Ireland’s electricity so far this year, it only produced 21pc of the country’s electricity last month. This was below the normal average for wind energy in May but the report said this shortfall was “partially compensated” by a record month for solar power. Meanwhile, wind energy supplied a record 43pc of Irish electricity in March.

“Every time a wind turbine or solar panel is generating electricity, it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices and increasing our supply of clean energy to power our homes and local communities,” said Justin Moran, director of external affairs at Wind Energy Ireland.

The report shows that Cork produced 73 GWh of wind power in May, representing 11pc of Ireland’s total wind power that month. This also pushed Kerry off the top spot for the first time since Wind Energy Ireland started publishing data at a county level.

Kerry was in second place producing 10pc of Ireland’s wind power in May, followed by Galway, Tipperary and Tyrone. These top five counties produced 42pc of Ireland’s total wind power last month.

“Irish wind farms, and last month particularly those in Cork, are playing an enormous part in reducing Ireland’s carbon emissions by more than 4m tonnes a year and creating significant opportunities in job creation and funding for rural communities,” Moran said.

“Ireland has significant renewable energy sources and by growing our renewable energy sector, we can build an Ireland that is energy independent, delivering warmer homes and cleaner air.”

source: Silicon Republic

Summer Birdwatching Spots in Ireland

25th Jun 2024

Check out these Summer Birdwatching Spots chosen by MKO ornithologists – from resident favourites to exciting migrants, there’s something for everyone. So grab your binoculars and get ready for an adventure!

County	Location	This location is good for spotting…
Antrim	Rathlin Island	Corncrake, Puffin, Kittiwake, Gannet, Razorbill and Guillemot
Clare	Mounthshannon Harbour	White-Tailed Eagle (Holy Island)
Cork	Harpers Island Wetlands	Nesting Sand Martin Wall
Cork	Glengarriff and Garinish Island	White-tailed Eagle
Donegal	Tory Island	Corncrake, Puffin and Breeding Waders
Donegal	Inch Wetland Reserve	Colony of Sandwich Tern and Black-headed Gulls
Donegal	Blanket Nook	Swallows, House Martins, common terns and swifts, Great Spotted Woodpecker or Kingfisher, and Yellowhammer
Dublin	Ireland’s Eye	Cormorant, Herring Gull, Kittiwake, Gannet, Guillemot, and Razorbill
Dublin	Rogerstown Estuary and Turvey Nature Reserve	Various
Dublin	Dalkey Island	Arctic Tern, Breeding Gulls and Oystercatchers
Galway	Lough Derg (Portumna)	White-Tailed Eagle
Galway	Inisbofin	Corncrake
Kerry	View from Castlegregory to Maherees Islands	Common, Arctic, Little and Sandwich Terns
Kildare	Pollardstown Fen	Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Water Rail, Snipe, Little Grebe, Kestrel, and Buzzard
Louth	Lurgangreen (Dundalk Bay)	Common Sandpiper, Terns, Wheatear, Gulls, and Osprey (regularly occurring, but not breeding)
Mayo	Annagh Marsh, Belmullet	Red-necked Phalarope and Lapwing
Offaly	Lough Boora	Grey Partridge, Breeding Waders e.g. Lapwing
Waterford	Ardmore Cliff Walk	Kittiwake Colony, Chough, Kestrel and occasionally Peregrine
Wexford	Great Saltee	Gannet, Puffin and Manx Shearwater, Razorbill, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Shag, Great Black-backed Gull and Fulmar
Wexford	Our Lady’s Island Lake	Roseate Tern, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern and Mediterranean Gull and Black-headed Gull
Wicklow	Kilcoole	Little Tern Colony
Wicklow	Avoca	Red Kite
Wicklow	East Coast Nature Reserve	Roseate Tern, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern Mediterranean Gull and Black-headed Gull
Wicklow	Wicklow Mountains	Peregrine, Merlin, Red Grouse, Great Spotted Woodpecker

KCLR96FM interview with Ecopower director Pat Brett

20th May 2024

Ours To Protect Episode 49: Pat Brett, Director of Kilkenny based company, EcoPower

Six things you maybe didn’t know about Ireland’s wind farms

22nd Apr 2024

Irish people want the affordable energy, the clean energy and the energy security that Irish wind farms provide. If we all work together we can build a future with cleaner air, warmer homes and thousands of green jobs in revitalised rural and coastal communities.

Wind farms are already helping Irish families, farms and businesses. We can do much more in the years to come.

Here’s a list of six things you maybe didn’t know about Ireland’s chief source of renewable energy:

1. They provide a lot of power

So far in 2024, Ireland’s wind farms have provided 40 per cent of the country’s electricity and, at times, three-quarters of our power has come from wind farms.

2. They’re very popular

In the most recent opinion poll 80 per cent of people supported wind energy. And in an independent report published last year by the SEAI – where they spoke to people living within 1 kilometre of existing wind farms – two-thirds of those people, living right next to wind turbines, want to see more wind farms built in Ireland.

3. They save a lot of money

The wholesale price of electricity, on days with large amounts of wind energy, is often half what it is on the days when we need to rely on expensive imported fossil fuels. Lower wholesale prices help to push down electricity bills and helps Irish families and businesses struggling with high energy costs.

4. They keep money in Ireland

If we didn’t have our existing wind farms Ireland would have spent €1.3 billion last year for gas, most of which we would have had to import. We want to keep that money in Ireland, supporting our economy, and not in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry.

5. They employ a lot of people

There are approximately 6,000 people working in the Irish wind industry and we’re going to need thousands more in the years to come as we build new wind farms on and offshore.

6. They invest in rural Ireland

Irish wind farms pay more than €50 million annually to rural County Councils and this is growing every year. Along with millions more in community benefit funds – they’re repairing local roads, keeping libraries open and supporting local businesses in rural Ireland.

Source : Kilkenny Live

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100% Green Electricity

from Ecopower

News

Supporting Ireland’s Energy Transition with Battery Storage Solution

Wind Energy Ireland slams “anti-wind” development plans

Build Our Grid – Email Your Candidates Now

Why Ireland needs to speed up development of onshore wind

Ecopower’s Pat Brett on Midwest Radio

Vodafone first telco to sign Corporate Power Purchase Agreement here

Wind supplied 35pc of Ireland’s electricity so far this year

Summer Birdwatching Spots in Ireland

KCLR96FM interview with Ecopower director Pat Brett

Six things you maybe didn’t know about Ireland’s wind farms

Address

Others

Switch to 100% Green Electricity

from Ecopower

News

Supporting Ireland’s Energy Transition with Battery Storage Solution

Wind Energy Ireland slams “anti-wind” development plans

Build Our Grid – Email Your Candidates Now

Why Ireland needs to speed up development of onshore wind

Ecopower’s Pat Brett on Midwest Radio

Vodafone first telco to sign Corporate Power Purchase Agreement here

Wind supplied 35pc of Ireland’s electricity so far this year

Summer Birdwatching Spots in Ireland

KCLR96FM interview with Ecopower director Pat Brett

Six things you maybe didn’t know about Ireland’s wind farms

Address

Others

Switch to
100% Green Electricity