NEWS AND PRODUCTS

Wind projects approval

In the first half of 2024, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for four wind farms with a combined estimated capacity of 228MW. Wind Energy Ireland estimates that, to achieve the 2030 target of 9,000MW onshore wind energy in the Climate Action Plan, An Bord Pleanála would have needed to approve 860MW since the start of the year.

The Board also rejected planning applications from eight wind farms with an estimated capacity of 459MW, while 30 projects totalling 1,766MW were awaiting decision at the end of Q2.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO, Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Unfortunately, we are only getting around a quarter of the projects we need to match our energy targets through An Bord Pleanála, and many of the projects recently approved by the Board have already been challenged in the courts. We are living in twin climate and energy crises but our planning system has not changed to reflect this and, until it does, we will stay on track to fall well short of our Climate Action Plan targets.”

EU tells Ireland to comply or face consequences

Towards the end of July the European Commission decided to open an infringement procedure against Ireland (INFR(2024)4003) for not carrying out market surveillance as required by the Construction Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) 305/2011).

The Construction Products Regulation requires authorities to monitor the manufacturing and placing on the market of construction products before they are used. According to the Commission’s findings, the Irish authorities limited their monitoring activities to finished buildings or finalised civil engineering projects. The limitation of market surveillance activities to on-site measures endangers the free circulation of safe construction products in the EU.

Due to defective construction products, several thousand Irish houses suffered very serious damage. The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Ireland, giving two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

SystemCore appoints McGinn MD

Conor McGinn has the role of Managing Director of sustainability building consultancy, SystemCore, having co-founded the company in 2021.

Specialising in energy retrofits and asset rejuvenation to help restore and retain architecture across Europe, SystemCore utilises data to inform the design and management of building systems, to improve their asset value and assist on their journey towards net zero carbon.

Conor said: “Our aim is to re-invent existing buildings so that they can compete with challenging sustainable demands. Our designs are informed by real building data extracted from energy management, BMS and building analytics software, to continuously improve our product and fine-tune our clients’ buildings to eliminate wasted resources.”

Kelly secures EU positions

Seán Kelly, MEP for Ireland South and Leader of Fine Gael in the European Parliament, has secured influential positions on three of the Parliament’s largest committees. He will serve as a full member of the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee and as a substitute on both the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and Foreign Affairs (AFET) Committees.

Panasonic’s new ‘Comfort Cloud’ app Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions has released the latest version of its Comfort Cloud App, V1.21.0. This update brings many new features and enhancements designed to improve the user experience and provide greater control over energy consumption and device management.

A standout feature is the updated energy consumption graph which helps users identify opportunities for increased efficiency and cost savings.

The update also provides a direct link to resources and FAQs, while the new phone number authentication feature enhances security by ensuring that only authorised users can access and control their heating and cooling systems.

See: https://www.aircon. panasonic.eu/IE_en/

Kenny appointed EHPA Director General

Paul Kenny has recently been appointed Director General of the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA). He is widely known as a leading energy policy expert in Ireland and the EU. He ran Tipperary Energy Agency for eight years, worked as an expert for the EU’s ManagEnergy programme, and more recently as a policy advisor to Minister Eamon Ryan.