New strides in renewable energy plans

ON a wet, overcast day in late October, the impression might be that we get hardly any sunshine. But, solar energy in Ireland is not a myth and we are not short of solar energy resources.

“Every year Ireland receives from the sun the equivalent of 600 times the total amount of energy we consume,” according to Paul Dykes, of Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI).

Both the Irish and British Governments have published policy papers on energy. There’s a strong emphasis on two issues — the great need to increase the role of renewable and sustainable energy sources and a drive towards an all-Ireland energy market.

Major projects in wind-generated power have been built or are under construction, while solar energy is coming more into the picture. By 2008, all new buildings in Northern Ireland must have a built-in renewable energy dimension.

If we followed the example of Sweden, we would end up with an electricity generating industry that gets most of its inputs from renewables. Solar energy can provide cost-effective solutions to fight climate change and reduce our dependency on expensive and polluting fuels.

The average Irish family’s energy bill could be cut by over 50% in the next 30 years, by cost-effectively harnessing the energy from the sun, which is carbon dioxide-free.

Commercial and public buildings represent 15% of Ireland’s total energy consumption and emission of over seven million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year (one fifth of Ireland’s total). Nearly 70% of that energy consumption is on cooling, space and water heating.

Four generations of the Huggard family have run the Lake Hotel, in Killarney. It may be a traditional hotel, based on old hospitality values, but it recently took a major stride into the future by installing solar panels and geothermal heat pumps in a 40-bedroom extension.

“It’s our first step in using renewable energy,” said Niall Huggard.

“Solar is mainly for the spring, summer and autumn months. The geothermal, which takes heat from the ground, works all year but works best in the cooler months. All in all, we hope to cut our heating costs by 30%.”

Mr Huggard did a project on renewable energy for his master’s degree on hospitality and came to the conclusion that the hotel needed such energy if it was to stay competitive.

The capital cost of installing the energy technology came to €150,000, with savings to kick in after about eight years.

“I believe we must look to countries like Sweden as an example: they were 10 years ago where we are now. If we look at what they do now, we can iron out 10 years of learning and get straight to the latest technology,” he maintained.

However, at a time when upwards of 80,000 homes and thousands of commercial premises are being built to satisfy the economic boom, many of the properties fail to meet basic design principles that could cut energy consumption by over 30% at no extra capital cost.

While building regulations ensure reasonable standards of insulation, most home buyers are unaware that with just a few simple, common-sense measures houses could make far more efficient use of natural solar energy.

The use of sustainable construction materials also has to be taken into consideration when designing a building. An active solar thermal system relies on solar collectors to transform sunlight into heat, to be used for space heating or, more commonly, to produce hot water. More than 2.5 million households use solar water or air heaters across Europe and the solar thermal market is rapidly increasing in Ireland.

The Motor Tax Office building, in Tralee, is a good example of solar energy in action. The insulated building eases the burden on the heating system and a ground source heat pump draws energy from the ground to provide heating in the winter, and cools the office in the summer.

At a national level, the energy debate is taking place against a background of rising prices, dwindling resources, likely future oil shortages and concerns over the long-term security of Ireland’s energy needs.

Marine and Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey has called for a “very, very serious” shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. The aim is to have 30% of our electricity generated from renewable sources within 12 years.