Wind energy usage set to treble
Sustainable Energy Ireland’s Renewable Energy Information Office, organisers of an information evening in Cork on Wednesday, said wind ensures security of energy supply and reduces over reliance and dependence on imports.
Ireland is now the most energy import dependent country in the industrialised world, bringing in some 90% of all its fuel.
The country spends billions of euro each year on imported energy. However, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) said investing in its own wind energy resources rather than imports would create thousands of new, secure Irish jobs, boost Exchequer returns and reduce the balance of payments.
Technical manager Paul Kellett said wind power has been in use for thousands of years and is now a growing business that offers real investment and development opportunities.
Currently, in Ireland there are 25 operational wind farms with a total installed capacity of 140 MW, meeting the average electricity needs of over 90,000 homes - equivalent to a city the size of Limerick.
Ireland has one of the best wind regimes in Europe and harnessing it will contribute to a diverse, secure and sustainable energy supply for Ireland.
Mr Kellett said the Government’s recent announcement of the Sixth Alternative Energy Requirement (AER VI) to support the development of over 500 MW’s of new wind energy generating plant by 2005 should give rise to a period of sustained development in the sector.
Next Wednesday’s information evening at Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork, (6-30 pm) will be of particular interest to anyone seeking more details on how to develop a wind project.
These include landowners, farmers and their associations looking to support rural incomes.
The event will also be of interest to financiers and planners with responsibility for wind farm applications and county development plans, as well as to local authority engineers, energy consultants and manufacturers.
Sustainable Energy Ireland, formerly the Irish Energy Centre, was established last May as a statutory authority charged with promoting and assisting the development of sustainable energy.
It is funded by the Government under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 with programmes part financed by the European Union.
