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

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

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 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

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!

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

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

Wind energy can provide a breath of fresh air for communities,says Caroline Nolan, Bainisteoir/Manager of Comharchumann Forbartha Mhúscraí, a community development organisation
based in Ballingeary

As the winds of change sweep across the Cork/Kerry border, our villages and communities stand at the forefront of a renewable revolution.
Within the very near future, this area will have the capacity to produce enough electricity to supply more than 50% of all the homes in County Cork.
This power will come from the ten existing windfarms, and four new windfarms in the planning process which, when combined, will bring the total capacity to an estimated 650MW.
This is good news for the city and county of Cork, but it leaves us with little more than a passing breeze.
While wind farms symbolise a global shift towards clean energy, the impact is felt most directly in rural areas, and yet we are overlooked in the in adoption of wind technology.
The villages most affected are in the Múscraí (Muskerry) Gaeltacht, and include Baile Mhúirne, Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh, Cill na Martra, Cúil Aodha and Réidh na nDoirí as well as the surrounding areas that include Kilgarvan and up towards Clondrohid.
The windfarms are having a significant impact on the physical environment, but are the structures in place to have a significant impact on helping sustain rural Ireland?
It is true that most people think that local communities are either for or against windmills, and there was a mindset that believed that rural communities ‘needed to be managed’ in areas where windfarms were going to be located.
The introduction of community benefit funds as goodwill gestures and/or as conditions of funding, was one way to appease local communities.
Offering payments to landowners closest to theturbines was also another way to gain support.
The introduction of the Rewnewable Electricity Support Schemes (RESS)in 2021, now mandates that all projects under this new scheme must create a Community Benefit Fund.
There is also the aspiration that local people should be involved in the decision-making process around the allocation of the community fund, and examples of thetypes of projects that would be expected to be supported when these funds become operational include: home and community hall retrofits, pollinator farms, cycling paths, educational materials and scholarships, and
sports clubs activities.
Without a doubt, these types of projects will be welcomed and will help local communities, but is this approach going to transform ourarea?
There is real potential for local rural areas to become the drivers of positive change.
More innovative projects and partnerships need to be developed using advances in technology. This will require leadership from our council, energy providers, and local universities.
Pilot projects such as the Energy Cloud in Dublin are testing how to harness the power that ‘gets dumped’ at night so that it can be used instead to heatwater in immersion tanks overnight.
It is possible to predict that there will be other smart grid solutions, but these solutions and pilot projects need to be initiated here, within the communities most impacted by the developments.
This type of engagement would bring lasting change to our area, building capacity and know-how, providing active solutions to climate change.
For instance, it is well known that rural communities are more reliant on cars, and do not have adequate public transport. It is possible to imagine thatmeals on wheels vans, the local post van and school buses could have smart grid solutions.
The need to link rural communities into the ‘bigger conversations’ is more relevant than ever, with climate action plans being introduced in all council areas.
The approach of providing a community fund to carry out some local projects is a lost opportunity.
Rural communities, are being depopulated and are struggling to maintain services. We cannot wait for the trickle-down effect of technology to impact our areas. We need to be at the forefront of finding workable solutions, becoming the demonstration sites and fostering genuine collaboration and partnerships so there is clear engagement in the energy transition

Source: The Echo 09/3/2024