The ESB has signed off on a €100m loan deal with the European Investment Bank to fund its latest push to increase energy from renewable sources.

Rural residents opposed to wind farms are planning to protest this morning outside a meeting of the Irish Wind Energy Association in Kilkenny.

I WISH to correct assertions by Aidan McMahon (‘Renewables aid does more harm than good’, Letters, March 30) when he quoted research from Spain in a curious attempt at rebutting the need for public aid to capitalise on the vast opportunity presented by the renewable energy sector for the Irish economy.

THE amount of wind energy connected to the electricity grid on the island of Ireland is set to breach the 1,000 MegaWatt threshold by the end of this year, or sufficient to meet the power demand of up to 500,000 households.

The Government has been urged to increase fossil fuel taxes as an environmental boost.