As many as 35,000 jobs could be generated by developing Ireland’s wind energy sector further, according to a new report from Trinity College Dublin and the Economic Social Research Institute.

The study suggests that Ireland would need to meet and exceed its current 2020 targets to double the amount of wind energy it produces to create such a high number of positions.

The report, entitled ‘An Enterprising Wind; An Economic Analysis Of The Job Creation Potential Of The Wind Sector In Ireland’, was jointly commissioned by Siemens and the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA). It suggests that an overall private sector investment of between €7 billion and €29 billion would be required, depending on the level of ambition pursued.

Among the possible jobs that could be created are roles in construction, engineering, manufacturing, and the IT sector.

According to the study, if Ireland were to meet its current 2020 targets and install 400MW of wind energy, 8,355 new positions would be created, more than double the number of jobs that currently exist in the sector.

The report goes on to suggest that if Ireland was to build on the existing target and add an additional 4000MW of onshore and offshore wind energy capacity for export, that over 17,000 jobs could be created.

In the most ambitious scenario outlined, a decision to develop 12GW of installed wind capacity,of which 4GW would be for export, would result in 35,275 new jobs coming onstream.

“This independent study highlights the considerable potential the wind energy sector has to drive economic growth in Ireland and, most critically, creating local jobs in local communities,” said Kenneth Matthews, chief executive of the IWEA.

There are a number of other benefits associated with wind power. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) recently announced that Ireland had saved €1 billion in fuel costs in imported energy costs, cut greenhouse gas emissions and resulted in lower fuel bills for consumers.

A plan to export energy generated in Ireland to Britain from wind energy farms however, has proven controversial. Currently two companies, Mainstream Renewable Power and Element Power, are in the process of developing a large-scale wind energy project in the midlands, which is anticipated will provide 5,000MWs of wind to the UK market and will involve the building of 2,000 turbines.

One of those companies, Mainstream, today announced it has selected Siemens Wind as the preferred supplier of wind turbines and has appointed Marubeni and Technip Offshore Wind Limited as the preferred supplier of balance of plant EPCI services for its 450MW Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm to be located off the coast of Fife in Scotland.

Having received onshore planning consent in June 2013, the proposed wind farm is expected to receive a determination on its offshore consent application soon and start preliminary construction works later this year. It is expected to begin generating renewable electricity from 2017 and when fully operational will have the capacity to deliver 3.7 per cent of Scotland’s electricity demand.

Despite its reputation as one of the biggest polluters per capita in the world, China leads the way in terms of investments in smart-grid technology, spending US$4.3bn in 2013.

The results, reported by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), show that China has knocked off its biggest economic rival, the United States, in terms of total spend.

According to the figures, the US actually saw a percentage drop of 33pc in direct funding in smart-grid technology, a total of US$3.6bn.

Meanwhile, global spend on the energy-efficiency technology grew as a whole by 5pc, bringing the total economic spend to US$14.9bn, meaning China now accounts for almost one-third of the total spending.

Trying to shake its less than environmentally friendly image, China has not just been funding smart-grid technology, but also some of the world’s biggest solar power plants both in terms of size and energy capacity.

Smart grid stronger than ever

Bloomberg’s senior energy-smart technologies analyst, Colin McKerracher, sees Asia and Europe as the continents to watch in terms of implementing the technology. “The fundamental drivers of the smart grid – greater grid reliability, further integration of renewable energy, and improved demand-side management – are stronger than ever.

“Asian and European markets will drive growth through 2020, while in North America the focus will continue to shift from hardware to software as utilities look to squeeze additional value out of the vast amounts of grid data now available.”

McKerracher believes that despite Europe’s initial slow start with the technology, it is expected to see the number of smart metres rise considerably, with an estimated 180m by 2020.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has announced that it will not be consulting on action to address FIT degression for small scale AD. This goes against previous statements including the letter received from the Minister before Christmas. ADBA, the REA and industry colleagues have been pushing hard for a tariff review because FIT degression has caused unintended consequences for small mid scale biogas projects, including on farm plants.

Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive, ADBA, said:

“It is deeply disappointing that DECC have not been able to follow through on their commitment to ‘consult on measures, including a tariff review, in January [2014]’, and this decision appears contrary to the government’s stated support for small scale AD on farms in particular.

“Smaller scale AD has a range of environmental benefits on top of generating electricity, including encouraging better manure management on farms and reducing the use of artificial fertilisers. A range of UK businesses are also in the process of developing technology and expertise which will be lost without the early-stage support which the current FIT level provides.

“The highest tariff degressions were designed to deal with ‘runaway’ deployment, but are hitting smaller scale AD despite just five sub 250kW plants coming online in 2013. This clearly goes against the spirit and intention of the policy, which will be hard to swallow for farmers, developers and their employees.

“The window to save small AD is getting smaller but is not yet closed, as there are a number of plants already in construction. We welcome DECC’s commitment to continue to work to support the sector. If ministers are serious about keeping small scale AD alive, realising sustainable rural growth and delivering the recommendations of the Ecosystem Markets Task Force and the Agri-Tech Strategy, they will recognise that a stable FIT regime is central to the industry’s growth.”

Renewable energy has saved Ireland more than €1bn in fossil fuel imports, cut CO2 emissions by 12m tonnes, and does not raise electricity prices, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) reported.

Dr Brian Motherway, CEO of the SEAI, said wind energy is delivering for Ireland as the country’s greatest indigenous energy resource.

This resource needs to be exploited for the benefit of the Irish people, he added.

“This is all about making Ireland more energy independent – harvesting our own resources instead of importing the expensive resources of others,” Motherway said.

He noted many arguments have been put forward questioning the case for more wind-energy development in Ireland, but said these arguments are not based on fact. Many people are concerned about renewable energy proposals in their communities and there are undoubtedly places where wind farms should not be built, he added.

“People are entitled to raise all the concerns they may have and a full and open debate is essential. However, false information only serves to worry people further,” Motherway said.

“That is why we have a transparent and functioning planning process, which has proven itself capable, time and again, of making objective decisions.”

Motherway pointed out that Ireland is highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, spending €6.5bn per year on such imports.

“This creates risk, and bleeds large amounts of money from the domestic economy.”

Renewable energy benefits for Ireland

Yet he also pointed out the benefits of renewable energy.

Firstly, those who argue wind energy is expensive and unnecessary are wrong, he said.

“Because Ireland has such a good wind-energy resource, we can get cheap clean electricity from it. Making comparisons with other countries about wind effectiveness is not always valid,” he said.

“Ireland has a uniquely strong resource. We have one of the lowest support regimes and wind is not raising electricity prices.”

Secondly, Ireland growing its use of renewable energy is vital for its national competitiveness, giving it greater control over its energy prices.

“Less reliance on fossil fuels gives us greater certainty on our energy prices, rather than leaving us at the mercy of international commodity price rises,” Motherway said.

Motherway was speaking at the publication by SEAI of Renewable Energy in Ireland. The report shows good progress towards the country’s renewable targets, with more than 7pc of Ireland’s energy demand coming from renewables in 2012 resulting in €250m less expenditure on imported fossil fuels.

“For the past decade, we have successfully developed wind farms around Ireland in tandem and with the support of communities,” said Motherway. “Billions have been invested and thousands of jobs created. There should be no free-for-all.

“We need a careful and considered approach which is transparent and that involves meaningful consultation and local benefits. Wind developers must treat communities with respect, address their concerns appropriately and recognise the importance of ensuring people benefit directly from developments in their areas.”

Nordex has secured a contract from Eneco to supply its Generation Delta wind turbines for the Moy wind farm, located near Inverness in northern Scotland.

As per the contract, Nordex will supply the Generation Delta wind turbines for the 66MW wind farm in 2015. The company has also secured a 15-year premium service contract from Eneco for the wind farm.

The wind farm will be equipped with 20 N100/3300 turbines and is expected to be completed in late summer 2016. Designed for strong wind speed (IEC-1) conditions, these turbines will make optimum use of the strong winds prevailing at the wind farm site.

With a rotor diameter of the N100/3300, the turbine is 10m larger and has 32% greater nominal output when compared with its predecessor. Featuring the proven design of Nordex’s own NR50 rotor blade, the N100/3300 turbine has a nominal output of 3.3MW.

Nordex management board member Lars Bondo Krogsgaard noted the company has had good and extensive experience on IECa sites in the UK in the past.

“With this project, we have the chance of continuing on this path successfully and of demonstrating the strengths of the N100/3300,” Krogsgaard said.

The Scottish Government, following an environmental impact assessment, granted a planning consent in February 2012 to Carbon Free Developments to develop a 20 turbine, 50MW wind farm. Initial stages were carried out by Carbon Free Developments.

In July 2013, Eneco Wind UK was named new investor in the Moy wind farm and the company has taken the lead for the construction and operations phases of the project.

The Scottish ministers granted approval for the Moy wind farm in January 2014 to increase its capacity from 50MW to 60MW.

A survey by OnePoll and electrical supplies distributor Rexel has revealed a ‘split personality’ on energy consumption behaviour among the UK consumers.

According to the survey, 48% of the British public would say themselves as energy conscious at home, while only 20% say the same about their behaviour in the workplace.

More than 70% of consumers say they worry about wasting energy and 93% turn off the lights at home, while only 43% worry about wastage of electricity at work and instead 60% of employees actively charge personal devices and only 60% turn off the lights in the office.

Of the total employees charging personal devices at work, 32% admitted to daily charging sessions and 36% charging multiple devices that could be a concern for businesses across the UK.

In addition to this, 32% of the UK consumers prefer to open a window at home when they are too hot rather than turn the heating down, while 47% in the workplace shown the varying behaviour on the same.

Rexel Northern European Zone strategic development director Brian Smithers said the research has revealed that the apparent trend is the average office worker spends at least 40 hours a week at work, and as such UK offices consume a huge percentage of energy, which is a major concern for the country.

“To reach the UK’s carbon reduction target of 80% by 2050, long-term and mass behavioural change is required not just in the home but across all aspects of people’s lives.

“There are huge opportunities for businesses to reduce energy bills by educating their employees, putting in place best practices and installing smart energy monitoring devices to help reach these targets, but also ultimately to save themselves money,” said Smithers.

A partnership between Somerset waste management firm Viridor and Highview Power Storage has been awarded more than £8 million to develop innovation in storing energy.

The partnership has won a contract as part of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s innovation competition to support energy storage technology research and development.

Taunton-based Viridor will now work with London-based Highview to build and operate an energy storage demonstration project at Viridor’s landfill site at Canterbury.

It comes after a difficult few years for Viridor which has seen revenue levels following a global slump in recyclate prices. But an interim management statement released last week by Viridor’s parent company, Pennon, said that the firm was going through a transitional period.

Pennon said Viridor was making good progress with its Energy from Waste activity.

It said that Viridor’s performance is in line with expectations with Energy from Waste schemes at Runcorn and Exeter due to become operational before the end of March and further projects under way at Cardiff, Glasgow, Peterborough, Ardley and South London.

Announcing the new contract Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker said: “Storing energy will become increasingly important in the move towards a low carbon economy, and has the potential to save the energy system over £4 billion by 2050.

“Energy storage systems are potentially revolutionary technologies – just imagine how much the energy system will change if we’re able to manage supply and demand better by storing energy cost-effectively, not to mention the benefits for British research and manufacturing industries.”

Viridor’s landfill energy director Ian Morrish said: “We are pleased to have secured funding for this important project. With ever growing pressure on natural resources, it is essential that we develop innovative and sustainable methods to generate and store energy not only to cut down our carbon footprint but to ensure long-term energy security.

“Innovation has been at the heart of successful businesses in Britain and it is great news that the government recognises and supports its development.”

The two companies will use the funding to develop technology to store air in a liquid format, which can then be used to supply electricity at times of high demand. The technology will be connected to the National Grid, and will be used to test the balancing of supply and demand using stored energy.

The plant will also convert waste heat to power using heat from the on-site landfill gas engines. The project is scheduled to be operational by mid-2015.

The Smart Grid Innovation Hub is calling on applicants for its competition to find the best energy start-up in Ireland with a top prize of €10,000 in funding along with a range of smaller prizes for runners-up.

The hub is part of a collaborative initiative between the EirGrid Group and the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) to promote the development of innovative smart grid solutions, with a particular focus on entrepreneurial initiatives by companies, academics and entrepreneurs in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

This competition is for start-ups from the whole island with a smart grid solution or service which have been in business for less than three years and have received under €1 million in funding to date.

Entrants will be judged on the originality of their idea, the ability to address current and future electricity system challenges and the market opportunity & business case.

Four shortlisted entrants will get the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a judging panel of top industry professionals and noted experts in front of an audience at this year’s SEAI Energy Show on 12 March at the RDS, Dublin.

Development of renewable energy

To be considered a ‘smart grid’, an electricity network must facilitate the large-scale integration of renewable energy, utilises electricity infrastructure efficiently through the optimal use of information and communications technology (ICT) and seamlessly integrate the actions of all users connected to the network in order to deliver sustainable, economic and secure electricity supplies.

In order to make the fast-approaching deadline, entrants need to apply soon as the closing date for applications is Friday, 21 February.

Further information can be found on the Smart Grid Innovation Hub’s newly launched website at www.smartgridinnovate.com.

Energy consumption declined by 8 per cent between 2006 and 2012 as Ireland is shown to have one of the highest dependence rates in EU.

Crews from Northern Ireland Electricity are helping ESB Networks restore power to some 190,000 homes and businesses in the Republic of Ireland today, after stormy weather battered the country yesterday.

ESB Networks crews restored power to more than 700,000 customers through yesterday evening and into the night, ESB Networks said.

Surveys of the damage show lines down, broken poles, and many trees down across lines. Flying debris has also damaged equipment, and transformers need to be replaced.

ESB Networks said crews are making every effort to restore power to customers as quickly as possible, but some customers may have to wait awhile before the lights are back on.

“It is expected that it will be late into this evening before power is restored to the most of the customers and also it is expected that a large number of customers will be still without power tonight,” ESB Networks said in a statement.

“Therefore customers should make preparations for being without supply for a number of days.”

Customers can check ESB Networks Powercheck app to see if their outage has been identified and logged, and ESB Networks’ Twitter feed will be updated with information as it is received.

The National Customer Contact Centre at 1850 372 999 is open 24/7 for customers to report faults, however there may be longer than usual waiting times.