Course and support for renewable enthusiasts
Seán Darcy, of the Irish Wind Energy Association, said one reason they created the course was “a few horror stories out there as turbines used have not been of international standard. Some have fallen down and others have blown up.”
The one-day course, which will cost €122, will cover small-scale wind-system technologies, technical and economic challenges, grid connection, planning issues, and case studies.
It will be presented by Dundalk IT renewable energy lecturer, Ray Byrne. Homeowners, farmers, or small businesses will benefit. See www.iwea.com.
* Meanwhile, support for communities and groups interested in setting up renewable energy co-ops has come from the Spirit of Ireland hydro-electric power project team, who propose to use excess energy from wind farms to create a large reservoir of pumped marine water. This could regularise Ireland’s supply of renewable energy.
A spokesman said: “Renewable energy has a great advantage. It allows everyone to take part. Harvesting renewable energy happens within communities, rather than behind the fence of a power station, and its variety of sources, means that everyone can take part, not just big utility companies. And the co-op is the way to do it.
“We want to provide a one-stop shop and thereby take the mystery out of the concept.”
Energy Co-operatives Ireland is a Spirit of Ireland Foundation initiative set up to make it easier for co-ops to access the technology and back-up required to set up biomass/CHP/wind/hydro/energy conservation projects and enable local co-ops to earn income from sources like small wind turbines, micro hydro from local rivers, or projects suitable for marginal land.
See www.energyco-ops.ie for details of their off-the-shelf solutions, from setting up energy co-ops to State regulations on energy generation.
