Environment & Energy Management

ireland’s leading environment & energy management publication

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

offshore renewable energy greenhouse gas emissions smart grid

www.eandemanagement.com

C o n t e n t s

- 3 E NVIRONMENT N EWS

- 19 G EOTHERMAL E NERGY

News from home and abroad.

GT Energy makes planning application for €30m geothermal energy plant.

PA G E 2 1 PA G E 3 - 4 S USTAINABLE B UILDING

Shabra opens new €3.5m plant.

Renewable Energy.

- 21 E NERGY P OINT

Queen’s University library wins sustainability global award.

Latest energy developments in Ireland and overseas.

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PA G E 4

- 23 E LECTRIC M OTORING

Sustainable building.

Government signs electric motoring agreement with Toyota.

PA G E 2 3 S USTAINABILITY Coca-Cola bottler sets new sustainable standards with opening of new €130m facility.

- 24 O FFSHORE R ENEWABLE E NERGY

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World’s largest offshore wind farm opens.

G REENHOUSE G AS

Electric motoring.

PA G E 2 4 Offshore renewable energy.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions down due to recession.

EPA licensing has significant influence on emission reduction.

PA G E 7 Dr. Mary Kelly, director general, EPA.

Managing Director: Colin Murphy Sales Director: Ronan McGlade Editor: Mike Rohan Sales Manager: Don Sheridan Production Manager: Susan Doyle Production Assistant: Jackie Kinch

Environment & Energy Management is published by Premier Publishing Limited, 51 Parkwest Enterprise Centre, Nangor Road, Dublin 12.

Tel: + 353 1 612 0880 Fax: + 353 1 612 0881 E-Mail: ronan@prempub.com Website: www.prempub.com

- 11 O CEAN E NERGY

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ESBI and MCT to develop major tidal energy project off Antrim coast.

- 19 S MART G RID

Premier Publishing Limited can accept no responsibility for the accuracy of contributors’ articles or statements appearing in this magazine. Any views or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Premier Publishing and its Directors. No responsibility for loss or distress occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the authors, contributors, editor and publisher. A reader should access separate advice when acting on specific editorial in this publication!

PA G E 1 1

Potential for Ireland as international test bed for Smart Grid development.

SeaGen tidal stream turbine.

Design, Origination and Separations by Fullpoint Design (057) 8680873 Printed by W&G Baird.

Annual Subscription (UK and Ireland) € 79 Overseas Subscription € 108

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

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E N V I R O N M E N T

N E W S

RECYCLING

Shabra Opens State-of-the-art €3.5m Plastic Bottle Sorting Plant in Monaghan habra Group, Ireland’s only fully integrated reprocessing, recycling, manufacS turing and supply company for plastic bottles and film, has officially opened a new Eur3.5 million plastic bottle sorting plant at its site in Castleblayney, County Monaghan. The state-of-the-art extension, supported by the Enterprise Ireland Growth Fund, is the only one of its kind here and among the best in Europe.

Irish-owned Shabra, which employs 49 workers, collects, reprocesses and recycles waste plastic bottles and film. The new plastic bottle sorting plant reprocesses low-value post-consumer plastic bottles and film into value-added recyclate which would otherwise go to landfill or be exported.

It can sort over 40,000 tonnes of mixed plastic bottles each year. The investment is expected to create 35 new jobs.

CLIMATE CHANGE Corporate Leaders Call For Urgent Progress on Climate Change Bill A group of Irish business leaders has written to the Taoiseach asking him to bring the proposed legislation on climate change to the Oireachtas before the end of the year. ‘Irish Corporate Leaders on Climate Change’ say the legislation is urgent for a number of reasons. It will bring the clarity and certainty to government policy that business needs to make long-term investment decisions, according to the group, and moreover, the cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of action.

The letter to the Taoiseach on the climate law was signed by Corporate Leaders for eight companies: Arup, Bord Gais, Bord na Mona, Diageo, Intel, KPMG, NTR and Vodafone.

John Mullins, chief executive of Bord Gais, comments: “For business, the value of putting our emissions targets into law is in creating a predictable planning framework. The investment needed to move to a lowcarbon economy is significant and the payback period long. To achieve the desired predictability, the targets set by the law need to be clear and credible.”

Irish Corporate Leaders on Climate Change are also calling on Irish businesses to sign the global Cancun Communique,

which sets out the case for action on climate change with renewed urgency. Nearly 1000 businesses signed the Copenhagen Communiqué last year making it the definitive progressive business statement on climate change.

The official opening of Shabra’s new €3.5 million plastic bottle sorting plant at its site in Castleblayney, County Monaghan.

water treatment plants at huge expense.

An EU Regulation would mark the end of voluntary or ineffective measures by some countries, with neighbouring countries having to suffer the consequences. The draft Regulation does not affect detergents for automatic dishwashers or those used by professionals as technically and economically feasible alternatives are not yet available throughout the EU. However, Member States can regulate the phosphate content of these detergents in specific circumstances.

“Regulation of the waste sector has been a driver for improved standards and better environmental outcomes.

Landfills are subject to a rigorous enforcement regime, without which we would have more pollution,” comments Dara Lynott, director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

John Mullins, chief executive of Bord Gais.

PHOSPHATES European Commission Wants to Ban Phosphates in Laundry Detergents The European Commission is proposing to ban the use of phosphates and phosphorous compounds in laundry detergents. Phosphates from detergents are one of the main sources of 'red tides' and 'green tides' of algae bloom and seriously affect water quality, both in rivers and at sea. Getting rid of phosphates is difficult – they have to be removed in waste-

EPA Reports Dramatic Fall in the Number of Landfills The EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement (OEE) has published its ‘Focus on Landfilling in Ireland’ report.

The report examines the standards of operation and management at landfills in Ireland and charts the progress made since the EPA began licensing this sector 15 years ago.

The report charts the fall in the number of municipal waste landfills over the last 15 years, falling from almost 100 landfills in 1995 to 30 facilities today, all of which are licenced to operate by the EPA. During this time, there has been a dramatic improvement in the performance indicators for landfills.

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

Dara Lynott, director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforce ment.

Ireland Asked to Comply With Court Ruling on Waste Management The European Commission is asking Ireland to comply with a ruling by the EU's Court of Justice regarding waste disposal.

While good progress has been made in some instances, more action is needed in areas such as construction waste and end-oflife vehicles. If the necessary actions are not taken, the 3

E N V I R O N M E N T

N E W S

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING

Queen’s University Library Wins Sustainability Global Award O ne of Northern Ireland’s newest landmark buildings – the £50 million McClay Library at Queen’s University – has won a global award for its role as a model of sustainable design. The McClay Library has won the Sustainability category in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Awards, defeating prestigious property projects from around the world. More than 450 building projects entered the RICS Awards which are regarded as the ‘Oscars’ of the built and natural environment. The McClay Library was one of only four category winners.

The Library is illuminated by a multi-storey open atrium, has 2,000 reader places and houses 1.2 million volumes. Ground floor facilities include IT training rooms, a Language Centre, Library and Computer support areas and a cafe.

The upper storeys house the University’s Special Collections, subject-related enquiry points and a vast range of printed works.

The design aimed to reduce energy loads and provide energy input as efficiently as possible. Energy, fuel and water consumption is recorded and reviewed against targets on a quarterly basis. During the design and specification process, environmentally-friendly materials were selected, all of which can be refurbished or recycled after use.

Commission may take Ireland back to Court and request financial penalties.

On a separate environmental issue the Commission welcomed measures taken by Ireland to comply with a Court ruling on the protection of certain vulnerable areas and Natura 2000 sites, as well as environmental impact assessments, and has closed infringement cases on both topics.

Cork County Council Sells Waste Collection Business to Country Clean Recycling

Cork County Council has sold its waste collection business to Country Clean Recycling, following a competitive process involving a number of waste management companies operating in the private sector.

Falling customer numbers, coupled with rising costs associated with a new EU Landfill Directive on the pre-treatment of waste, and the introduction of a VAT charge of 13.5%, has resulted in Cork County Council being faced with an unsustainable financial position in relation to its waste collection business. In order to combat these challenges, a Waste Management review 4

was undertaken in 2009 which highlighted a Eur1.6 million budget shortfall for 2010.

“This deal is worth up to Eur10 million for Cork County Council over the next 12 months when you factor in the projected losses the service would have incurred in the next fiscal year, losses which have been greatly added to by the introduction of VAT on refuse service since July 2010, says ” Jim Daly, mayor of County Cork.

Queen's director of estates Gary Jebb with the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Sustainability Award 2010, awarded for the University's £50 million McClay Library.

Included is Alistair Dunn, chairman of the RICS NI judging panel.

side of the United States to be eStewards Certified. Three more European facilities are in queue to be certified in the next months.

E-Stewards is a globally accredited, third-party audited certification program that ensures customers that recyclers do not deposit toxic electronic waste in landfills or export it to developing countries – illegal under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive – and that the facility operates in accordance with all applicable local and international laws.

Environment Agency (NIEA).

The awards were for Biodiversity Project of the Year and Environmental Project of the Year.

Pictured (left to right): Conor Lydon, senior hydrogeologist; Denise Cowan, marketing consultant; and Eleanor Ballard, principal ecologist, WYG, at the awards presentation.

EMISSIONS Responsible E-Waste Recycling Comes to Europe The Basel Action Network (BAN), the global environmental waste watchdog group which first exposed the dumping of waste from electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) from developed countries to China and West Africa, has brought its electronic recyclers certification to Europe. Redemtech EU, of Cranleigh, Surrey, has become the first electronics recycler out-

SUSTAINABILITY

Zero Emission Tractor of the Future Makes Debut An increasing demand for reduced emissions and energy independence has fueled the need for new technology and the use of alternative fuels in

WYG Celebrates Success at Sustainable Ireland Awards International consultancy WYG won two awards at the prestigious 6th annual Sustainable Ireland Awards held in partnership with the Northern Ireland

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

E N V I R O N M E N T

N E W S

SUSTAINABILITY

Coca-Cola Bottler Sets New Sustainable Standards With Opening of New €130 Million Irish Facility C oca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, which operates the Coca-Cola franchise for Ireland, has officially opened a new energy efficient bottling plant, computerised warehouse, and communityfocused visitors centre at Knockmore Hill, County Antrim.

The Eur130 million facility employs 600 people and has the capacity to produce a wide range of non-alcoholic beverages for delivery throughout the entire island of Ireland. A key component of the new bottling plant is a combined heat and power (CHP) system which has been constructed in partnership with ContourGlobal, a leading international company speagriculture. One of the most promising developments, the New Holland NH hydrogenpowered tractor, has just made its North American debut. More than just an idea, the NH tractor is a 106 hp working prototype able to perform all the tasks of a tractor while operating virtually silent and emitting zero pollutants. New Holland Agriculture is a division of CNH Global, a majority-owned subsidiary of Fiat.

WASTEWATER Berson Launches ‘OpenLine’ Open Channel UV Wastewater Disinfection Systems UV disinfection specialist Berson has

Berson’s new OpenLine open channel UV wastewater disinfection system.

cialising in the development of efficient energy installations.

It will cut CO2 emissions at the plant by up to 66% while supplying excess clean electricity to the local power grid.

The CHP plant is the fourth to be officially opened across CocaCola Hellenic’s territory, which extends across 28 countries, and another 11 plants are under development by ContourGlobal. CocaCola Hellenic aims to cut CO2 emissions by an average of 20% across all 80 of its bottling plants.

Coca-Cola Hellenic is one of the world's largest bottlers of CocaCola products with sales of more than 2 billion unit cases.

launched its new OpenLine range of open channel UV wastewater treatment systems. 100% pre-engineered for wastewater applications, the OpenLine range is specifically designed to treat secondary wastewater flows of up to 95,000 m3/day (approx. 4,000 m3/hour) over a wide range of UV transmittances. It utilises a new type of low pressure, high output (LPHO) amalgam lamp that offers stable UV output over its entire operating life of up to 14,000 hours. For further information contact Berson on Tel +31 (0)40 290 7777 or visit www. bersonuv.com.

ENVIRONMENT EnviroCom Awards - From Recycled Clothes Hangers to Captain Energy Superheroes Ten organisations which have taken effective steps towards protecting the environment, such as a dry cleaner only using 100% recycled hangers and an international retailer rolling out an environmentally-conscious cartoon superhero, were recognised at the recent annual EnviroCom Awards in Dublin.

Crisp Dry Cleaning and Laundry Services in Dalkey, which only uses 100% recycled hangers and has significantly reduced its water consumption

Pictured at the opening of the facility at Knockmore Hill are (left to right): Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster; First Minister Peter Robinson; Marcel Martin, general manager of CocaCola Hellenic for the island of Ireland; Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness; and chief executive of Coca Cola Hellenic, Doras Constantinou.

levels, won the Special Merit Award in the under ten employees category. The ‘Energy Management’ award went to Marks & Spencer in Dundrum Town Centre, which invented ‘Captain Energy’ to help communicate its environmental ‘Plan A’, the implementation of which, led to an impressive Eur 220,000 worth of savings.

The Bank of Ireland IT and Operations Centre in Cabinteely was awarded the ‘Waste Prevention’ category and the ‘Water Conservation’ prize went to Jones Lang La Salle. The ‘Energy Awareness’ prize was won by Microsoft in

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

Leopardstown; the ‘Engaging Communities in An Environmental Project’ in the ‘fewer than 50 employees’ category received the Global Action Plan and the ‘over 50 employees’ award went to 3M in Carrickmines.

The Applegreen service station in Stillorgan was presented with the ‘Environmental Performance in the Retail/ Service Sector’ award whilst the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel won the same prize in the ‘Tourism/ Hospitality’ sector. Finally, the ‘Environ mental Innovation’ prize was awarded to Blackrock Education Centre.

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ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

PE Services – Eurowash Offers Solutions For a Cleaner and Safer Environment E Services – Eurowash has been providP ing a broad range of custom designed products and services to industry and local authorities nationwide for over 15 years. Its range of products include high pressure wash systems, including wheel wash, truck wash and factory washdown facilities, water recycling, rainwater harvesting and pollution control.

The company also specialises in road tanker access safety, providing steel gantries, step units, interlocking anti-drive off safety systems to ensure that employee safety is kept a priority. PE Services – Eurowash recently added mobile flood protection barriers to its customer offering.

Given the frequency of flooding it is imperative that business and local authority infrastructure is protected in a rapid and effective manner.

All equipment is designed to be as simple and effective as possible while offering

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value for money. The company’s customer base is varied ranging from Diageo, Janssen, Cadbury, Offaly County Council to petrol forecourts, The Luas Tram Wash and dairies.

Water recycling systems can reduce mains water usage by up to 80% and reduce waste water going for treatment by a

Steel Gantries and Platforms •

Mezzanine Floor Safety Barriers •

Road Tanker Access Steps and Platforms •

Water Recycling & Pollution Control •

Vehicle Wash Systems •

Wheel-Wash Systems •

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greater amount, saving on water costs for both the customer and local authority. No chemicals or consumables are required for this fully mechanical system.

A large pharmaceutical company had an issue with loading and unloading different sized chemical tankers, which were of different heights, sizes and various degrees of tilt. An ATEX approved pneumatic access system was designed to operate in all the tanker bays and accommodate all tankers with built in fail safe features.

PE Services – Eurowash seeks to assist businesses in their goals of being as profitable as possible while ensuring that a commitment to safety and the environment is maintained. The company is always happy to advise and quote on the most suitable system to suit customers’ needs.

For further information call 049 4379144, info@peservices.ie or visit www. peservices.ie. I

Factory Wash-Down Systems

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

I GREENHOUSE GAS

Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down Due to Recession reland’s Greenhouse Gas emissions fell by 5.4 million tonnes (7.9%) in 2009, according to provisional Greenhouse Gas emissions figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Agriculture remains the single largest contributor to the overall emissions, at 29.1% of the total, followed by energy (primarily power generation) and transport both at 21.1% share. The remainder is made up by the industry and commercial at 14.8%, the residential sector at 12.0% and waste at 1.9%.

The figures show that, while Ireland’s Kyoto limit in the period 2008-2012 is 62.84 million tonnes per annum, Ireland’s combined emissions in 2008 and 2009 were 6.2 million tonnes above this limit when account is taken of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and of approved Forest Sinks. ”The magnitude of the reduction in Ireland’s annual Greenhouse Gas emissions in 2009 is unprecedented. In particular the 20% cut in emissions from the industry and commercial sector reflects the impact which the severe economic recession is having on industrial output in Ireland,” comments Dr Mary Kelly, director general of EPA.

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Economic Recession “While the reduction is welcome in terms of meeting our emission limits for 20082012 under the Kyoto Protocol, we need to use this opportunity to embed fundamental emission reductions in the economy in order to meet the very stringent EU 2020 limits which we face and to move permanently to a low carbon economy. We should not rely on a recession to meet our targets for the future.”

Dr Ken Macken, programme manager, EPA, adds: “For the first time in the twenty years for which Greenhouse Gas emissions have been published, this year EPA is reporting reductions in every sector across the board. While some of these reflect the impact of the many improvements which have already been taken to reduce our emissions, it is important to ensure further measures are taken in order to meet our emission limits for 2020 and Dr Mary Kelly, beyond.”

EPA. The provisional summary report of Ireland's Greenhouse Gas Emissions for 2009 can be found on the EPA Website at www.epa.ie/whatwedo/climate/emissionsinventoriesandprojections/n ationalemissionsinventores/.

Sectoral Changes Changes to sectoral emissions between 2008 and 2009 are as follows: Industry and Commercial - Emissions decreased by 2.3 million tonnes (20.0%) from 11.6 million tonnes in 2008 to 9.3 million tonnes in 2009 reflecting decreases in CO2 from combustion sources and from cement production. In particular, emissions from the cement sector alone decreased by 1.3 million tonnes (38%).

Energy - Emissions in 2009 were 1.6 million tonnes lower than in 2008 which represents a 10.7% decrease. This reflects a reduced demand for electricity from endusers in Ireland. In addition, the contribution of renewables such as wind in electricity consumption increased to 14.1% in 2009 from 11.7% in 2008. Carbon-inten-

sive fuels in power generation decreased in 2009 relative to 2008.

Transport - Transport emissions were 1.1 million tonnes lower in 2009 than in 2008. This represents a decrease of 7.7%, following sustained increases in this sector since 1990. The decrease primarily reflects the impact of the economic downturn plus the director general of changes in vehicle registration tax and road tax introduced in mid 2008.

Emissions in 2009 were 156% higher than the 1990 transport emissions.

Agriculture - The emissions from agriculture decreased by 0.3 million tonnes (1.5%) in 2009, continuing the downward trend from the 1998 peak. The decline in emissions primarily reflects lower sheep and swine numbers as well as a reduction in gas oil use on farms.

Residential - Emissions in 2009 decreased by 699,111 tonnes (0.9%) from the 2008 level. This reflects a slight reduced demand for energy from the residential sector despite 2009 being similar weather wise to 2008.

Waste - Emissions for this sector show a decrease of 52,754 tonnes (4.2%) below the 2008 level which reflects increased methane flaring relative to 2008. Emissions in 2009 are 7.8 % lower than in 1990. The EPA continues to take account of data received from operators on the proportion of methane that is flared and utilised and therefore excluded from emissions reported under the waste sector. I

EPA Licensing Has Significant Influence on Emission Reductions

EPA director Laura Burke.

A recent study by Trinity College, Dublin has found that pollution emissions from licensed industry have fallen due to regulation. Between 2001 and 2007 there were aggregate pollution reductions of 22% for the chemical sector, 28% for the food and drink sector, 40% for the pharmaceutical sector and 45% for the power generation sector.

The project analysed annual emissions data submitted to the EPA by licensed industrial installations in accordance with the requirements of Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regulation. The study found that whilst EU member states were given a 2007 deadline for full implementation of IPPC regulation,

Ireland’s EPA had implemented similar regulation through its Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licensing system since 1994. The extended experience with integrated (IPC and IPPC) licensing in Ireland provides a useful insight into the effectiveness of such regulation for Irish industry and policy-makers as well as for other EU countries.

“There is considerable debate about the efficiency of statutory regulation compared with alternative approaches to pollution control – particularly voluntary regulation and the use of economic instruments. Integrated licensing is demonstrably the best approach to industrial pollution control,” points out EPA director Laura Burke.

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

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THIS CRANE COMES WITH 9000 SPECIALISTS

Every Konecranes product comes equipped with the knowledge and experience of each one of our employees. From the design lab, to the research department, right down to the service mechanic on your site. Their role is ensuring you get the highest productivity possible. When you invest into a Konecranes product, you receive something that is deeper than just a piece of metal; peace of mind.

Contact Konecranes on: 08000 352843 Albion Road, West Bromwich, B798AX www.konecranes.co.uk

I POWER GENERATION

ESB’s New Generation Power Station With its new €360 million Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) now on stream, ESB’s site at Aghada in East Cork is Ireland’s largest power station and is also one of the most efficient electricity generators in Europe. ncorporating the latest in gas fired power generation technology, the new plant generates sufficient power to provide electricity to around 500,000 homes.

The combined cycle gas turbine generating plant is the lowest electricity emitter of carbon from any conventional power station in Ireland. It was built by the French engineering company Alstom Power.

Construction began in October 2007 and the new plant came on stream earlier this year.

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Highly Efficient The new plant is supplying about 8% of the All-Island power demand in the Single Electricity Market. Using Alstom’s GT26 gas turbine the low-NOx Environmental (EV) burner can produce power at 59% net efficiency and is claimed as the best performing technology for a combined cycle plant in this class. The 435 MW CCPP is the second Alstom GT26 gas turbine powered plant to be designed, engineered and built by Alstom in Ireland following the opening of the Synergen plant at Ringsend in Dublin in 2002.

Alstom Thermal Services is managing the plant’s two-year warranty period for ESB as well as undertaking a 12 year Long Term

Aghada is now the largest capacity generating station in Ireland and is the only station that is serving all three market segments – baseload, mid-merit and peaking demand.

The 435 megawatts Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant at Aghada.

Service Agreement (LTSA) to provide technical services for the plants gas/steam turbines and generator. €435 Million Investment In addition to the Eur360 million to build the new CCPP, ESB spent Eur75 million upgrading the four existing generating units on the Aghada site, which have a combined capacity of 528 megawatts. With an overall generating capacity of 963MW, Aghada is now the largest capacity generating station in Ireland and is the only station that is serving all three market segments – baseload, mid-merit and peaking demand.

Aghada accounts for about 25% of ESB’s total installed capacity throughout the whole of Ireland.

Development Strategy The investment at Aghada is part of ESB’s ‘Strategic Framework to 2020’ strategy to replace ageing and less efficient power stations with modern, high efficiency and environmentally-friendly plants with lower emissions.

According to ESB chairman, Lochlann Quinn, the Aghada plant adds significantly to Ireland’s security of energy supply while

contributing to a cleaner environment.

This large scale investment in east Cork is also a major boost to the local economy.

Eighty people are employed to operate the station.

“This development at Aghada illustrates how ESB really is an innovative and far-seeing energy company. In spite of extremely difficult economic conditions, the company has proceeded to deliver a plant of this calibre and to press ahead with its overall strategy of providing low-carbon electricity to our customers. We remain completely committed to implementing our ambitious Strategic Framework to 2020,” he explains.

The Challenge “The challenge for all energy market participants is to deliver clean, safe and costeffective electricity to our customers. The Aghada plant, built by one of the world’s leading engineering companies, does all of this,” says Padraig McManus, chief executive of ESB. “We now look forward to the opening of competition in all sectors of the electricity industry because value to the customer must lie at the heart of every strand of our business planning. ESB is ready to meet that challenge.” I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

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I LIFTING SOLUTIONS

Customer-driven Industrial Design onecranes is an industry-leading group of lifting businesses that offers a complete range of advanced lifting solutions to many different industries worldwide. Product development incorporates the company’s brand promise in the end product. For customers, it means safe and easy-to-use lifting equipment and reliable maintenance services.

Have you ever wondered why lifting equipment has been designed a specific way? Why certain materials have been used in the crane, or why the components are shaped the way they are?

These things are decided in the product engineering phase where design identity has a significant role. Design identity involves more than just the look of a product. It can be used for instance to increase a product’s usability and brand visibility, to stand out from competitors, to create a uniform product portfolio, and to communicate Konecranes’ own values.

Design identity is visible in all products – eg in the shapes, colours and visual elements and in the smart functions. In a successful end product, the various elements are seamlessly integrated. ”What it ultimately boils down to is how the product’s attributes benefit the customer in the best possible way,” says Taina Luoto, Corporate Branding and Marketing Manager at Konecranes.

”Traditionally, the service platform is implemented as a fixed structure, and from the customer’s perspective it has decreased the operating area of the hook. Because of the tight approach criteria, sometimes compromises have to be made with the service platform and that can make servicing inconvenient. A folding service platform brings compactness to the SMARTON crane and brings the customer savings in construction and heating costs while offering a bigger operating area,” says Johannes Tarkiainen, R&D Chief Engineer, Industrial Design.

As a result, the design of the product is uniform and functional at the same time. ”For the customer, the advantages of the service platform can be summed up as compact in size and good serviceability with the bonus of a modern look,” Johannes Tarkiainen says.

K

Compact Service Platform One good example of the industry design´s role in product development is the folding service platform of Konecranes’ new

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SMARTON industrial crane concept.

Development of the service platform partly came about by observing maintenance technicians at work, and, in fact, the end result is better serviceability.

SMARTON presents an evolution in crane technology, designed to maximize customer productivity and minimize total lifecycle costs. SMARTON can be used in industrial sectors such as steel handling and warehousing, automotive, general manufacturing, power, workshops, automatic storage systems and mining.

Depending on the set up, SMARTON can lift loads ranging from 30 tons to more than 500 tons.

A Complete Lifting Solution Konecranes offers a complete lifting solution through its worldwide presence with operations in almost 50 countries, 470 service depots, and 500 locations around the globe.

Konecranes has active production on three major continents, and within the UK alone boasts fifteen service branches, and a stateof-the-art crane manufaturing facility located in East Kilbride.

The company is proud to be the UK leading crane manufacturer and service provider; Konecranes designs service packages for your needs, and offers an unrivalled response rate, training, and consolation services. Konecranes UK Parts Centre based in Loughborough stocks over 100,000 parts which are available 24 hours a day, allowing quick and easy access to parts when required.

Konecranes offers a range of products from small workstation cranes and manipulators, to giant yard cranes. Konecranes has developed SMART solutions that increase productivity by giving the highest life cycle value, whilst giving full consideration to safety and environmental aspects.

Konecranes - Not just lifting things but entire businesses. I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

I OCEAN ENERGY

ESBI and MCT to Develop Major Tidal Energy Project Off Antrim Coast ESB International (ESBI) has entered an agreement with the pioneering tidal energy company Marine Current Turbines (MCT) to develop an initial phase of a 100MW tidal energy project off the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland.

SBI and MCT will work together to submit a proposal to the forthcoming Marine Leasing Round in Northern Ireland to secure an Agreement for Lease from the Crown Estate to commence formal consenting of the project. If successful, and subject to the achievement of consent, the initial phase of the project, which will use the MCT SeaGen device, could be in operation by 2018. The ESBI/MCT project will assist Northern Ireland in achieving its marine renewable energy targets as outlined in the DETI Strategic Action Plan which calls for 300MW of tidal energy by 2020.

surements off the Antrim coast over the summer months. This data is currently being analysed and it is planned to undertake further surveys in the coming months.

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SeaGen Tidal Stream Turbine SeaGen is the largest and most powerful tidal stream turbine in the world and the only one that is regularly generating electricity for customers, having been accredited by OFGEM, the UK industry regulator, as an ‘official’ power station. The award-winning 1.2MW turbine has been operating in Northern Ireland's Strangford Lough since April 2008 and last month (August) achieved another operational milestone by delivering its 2 millionth kWh of power to the grid. Thanks to Strangford being an exceptionally energetic location, SeaGen regularly produces as much electricity as an average off-shore wind turbine of double the rated power. This power

SeaGen is the largest and most powerful tidal stream turbine in the world and the only one that is regularly generating electricity for customers, having been accredited by OFGEM, the UK industry regulator, as an ‘official’ power station.

is already being sold by ESB's retail electricity supply business, ESB Independent Energy, to customers in Northern Ireland.

Safeguarding the environment is a key issue and ESBI is preparing an environmental scoping report on the project as an initial step in undertaking a full environmental impact assessment. In order to gain a thorough understanding of the tidal potential, ESBI has also undertaken tidal resource mea-

Ocean Energy Target ESB has a corporate target to develop 150MW of ocean energy in Ireland by 2020 and the proposed tidal project off the Antrim Coast is a key project in delivering this target.

“Our aim is to use our experience and technical strength to support the development of a viable ocean energy industry in Ireland and this project is an important step in realising that goal,” says Padraig McManus, chief executive of ESB. ESB's retail subsidiary, ESB Independent Energy, already supplies tidal energy to its customers in Northern Ireland through its purchase of the electricity output from the SeaGen tidal facility in Strangford Lough.

By 2020, ESB will be producing one-third of its electricity from renewable generation, delivering over 1,400MW of wind generation (with over 100MW already installed), and exploiting the potential of wave, tidal and biomass resources. ESB Networks will invest Eur11 billion in vital infrastructure to facilitate the development of up to 6,000MW of wind power on the island of Ireland. I

I PROJECT DELIVERY

ESBI Wins Engineers Ireland Award for Project Delivery Model SB International (ESBI) has won the neering employees to realise innovative proLarge-Sized Company Category Award at jects and initiatives with sixteen companies E the Engineers Ireland Continuous short-listed over four categories.

Professional Development (CPD) Company of the Year Awards 2010. The award recognises ESBI's work in designing and implementing the Project Delivery Model (PDM) for large scale capital projects and the creation of a permanent project management office to support the ongoing development and improvement of the model.

The awards, now in their seventh year, acknowledge organisations that have demonstrated clear-cut business benefits arising from their use of CPD practices in developing engi-

“This award highlights the company's commitment to ensuring that the expertise and capability of our staff is fully utilised to drive continuous improvements across all areas of our business and enhance the services we provide to our international clients,” comments Ollie Brogan, acting executive director of HR for ESB. “By adopting a consistent approach to project management, supported by continuous learning, we have significantly reduced the project risk associated with delivering large scale capital projects and optimised our

Pictured at the award ceremony are (l-r): Tanaiste and Minister for Education & Skills, Mary Coughlan TD; Jacinta Ryan, project management specialist, project management office, ESBI Engineering; Ollie Brogan, acting executive director group HR, ESB; and John Power, director general, Engineers Ireland.

performance in areas such as safety, cost management, scheduling and post-commissioning operations.” I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

11

I WATER & WASTEWATER

Longwood Engineering – A Long History of Quality, Innovation and Performance!

With a reputation founded on providing competitively priced, quality, innovative solutions, backed up with 100 years of engineering history, Longwood Engineering is one of the leading suppliers of automated screens and screenings handling equipment to the water utilities industry both in the UK and Ireland, and is committed to helping customers meet increasingly stringent demands of continual improvement, while reducing overall operating costs. ongwood Engineering has been supplying to the Irish market, either direct to local councils, or via contractors, for many years. Recently their involvement in Northern Ireland Water’s Omega Project, via the Veolia Water Outsourcing Ltd/Laing O'Rourke joint venture demonstrates their ability to come up with innovative, solutions, having successfully manufactured and installed an inlet works package consisting Escalator Screens and Combi-wash Screening Handing Units for five sites across NI. The Longwood Stormguard CSO Screen, which was awarded best performing storm screen at UK WIR Test, has also been installed at a number of sites in Ireland, including Mooncoin and Portarlington.

In addition Longwood has successfully trialled in the UK a combined screen and screenings handling unit designed for smaller works up to 100 L/sec. This means that Longwood now offers a comprehensive product range that fulfills all screenings and screenings handling requirements right across the board from small to medium and large works.

L

Continual Innovation Says Alan Taylor, Longwood Engineering's managing director: "Continual evolvement

12

and innovation is paramount to our success. This year alone, we have recruited ten new people to our team and are also introducing brand new products to the market, which are being extremely well received by the water industry. We do all this in compliance with the very high standards of quality, health and safety and environmental protection demanded by our clients."

One such product is the Escalator Plus, the result of working collaboratively with Longwood's customers, to find ways of improving on the original pioneering Escalator Screen (introduced 17 years ago), in order to bring about real tangible benefits to the water industry.

The Escalator Plus has a new set of key features and benefits, including a unique self-adjusting brush and split driving sockets, specifically designed to effectively improve maintainability and capture ratio while reducing whole life costs, resulting in cleaner screens, improved flow to the works and reduced downtime caused by blockages in the downstream process. The new features will be incorporated into all new Escalator Screens as standard, but can also be retro-fitted on to existing screens on site.

Market Leader The Escalator Plus has been fully tested at the National Screen Evaluation Facility at Chester Le Street, where an unprecedented average Screens Capture Ratio of 79% was achieved which far exceeded expectations and firmly establishes Longwood Engineering as a market leader in Fine Screens Technology.

Alan Taylor concludes: "With an existing track record in Ireland, combined with our excellent technical capability and a range of highly innovative, performance screens and

screens handling products, Longwood Engineering is extremely well placed to be able to help support Irish utilities meet the environmental and economic criteria as set out in the Government's three year plan for improving Ireland's water and wastewater infrastructure in order to comply with EU regulations." I

“With an existing track record in Ireland, combined with our excellent technical capability and a range of highly innovative, performance screens and screens handling products, Longwood Engineering is extremely well placed to be able to help support Irish utilities meet the environmental and economic criteria as set out in the Government's three year plan for improving Ireland's water and wastewater infrastructure in order to comply with EU regulations.”

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

I WATER TREATMENT

Leixlip Water Treatment Works Saves €500,000 a Year With ABB Drives eixlip Water Treatment Plant is saving over ?500,000 a year L on its pumping costs with the installation of ABB variable speed drives. The Leixlip Water Treatment Works has a capacity of 175,000 m3 a day with six pumps in two sets of three, one used for duty and the other on standby. In each set of three motors, two were controlled by soft starts and one was controlled by a variable speed drive (VSD). All three motors were running constantly to keep up with demand.

Contractor AECOM and ABB were asked to investigate the pumps’ energy use and come up with a solution to reduce it.

They found that the three motors had an absorbed power of Leixlip Water Treatment Works is saving over €500,000 a year on its pumping costs thanks to 1,690 kW. The new absorbed the installation of ABB variable speed drives. power is 1,326 kW. With 24 hour, 365 day operation, this was a saving of 3,179,904 kWhrs. With energy costing 0.16 c per kWhr, this gives a total saving of ?508,784 per year and a payback time of less than a year. I

Amplo Filtration Adds Environmental Water Systems to Further Strengthen Offering mplio Filtration Holdings, which A already includes Puresep Technologies as part of its offering, has purchased Environmental Water Systems (UK), the water treatment specialists. EWS specialises in the design, manufacture, service and supply of water treatment, water purification and waste water recovery systems in the healthcare and industrial sectors, with stateof-the-art products including the EndoTherm and EndoPure. EWS is a major service provider with exceptional service and technical support capabilities. Based in Cheddar, UK, EWS has 34 employees and a turnover of more than £4.2m.

Formed in 2002, Puresep Technologies, the other member of the Amplio Filtration Holdings Group, has over 300 clients, an experienced team of 15 employees and revenues of £3.7m. Puresep provides a comprehensive range of conventional and leading edge water treatment and process filtration systems. Customers include blue chip organizations, such as Heineken, Diageo, and Britvic.

The combination of the two organisations into one group means the technology and services business model can be broadened and

strengthened to target a wider market and to continue to bring to the market place; flexible, efficient and cost effective solutions in a time of tightening budgets and increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

The Amplio Filtration Holdings Group focuses on water, waste water and industrial filtration. The expertise that Amplio Filtration has in this market is based on market knowledge and its network of global management with a given track record.

“We are delighted with the new relationship and look forward to building on already successful product ranges. This partnership allows both Puresep and EWS to continue to innovate and grow as technology leaders and major players in the healthcare and industrial markets. Further investment means both EWS and Puresep can continue to build on current growth with programmed development of innovative products,” says Vince Payne, managing director of Amplio Filtration Holdings. “We will continue to bring to market products and solutions that customers require to achieve the competitive advantage they desire in these particularly challenging times.” I

I DRIVE SERVICES

Advantage Control Joins ABB Drives Alliance dvantage Control of Northern Ireland has become the twelfth ABB Drives A Alliance member following its appointment.

Based in Downpatrick, Advantage Control offers ABB variable speed drives from 0.18 kW to 400 kW. As with all ABB Drives Alliance partners, Advantage Control offers a lifecycle of drive services, from pre-purchase including energy appraisals and application advice; through to installation and start-up; operation and maintenance; upgrade and retrofit; replacement and recycling. The company can be contacted 24/7, allowing a fast response to breakdowns.

Advantage Control has specific expertise in converting plastic extruders and cable

Advantage Control of Downpatrick, Northern Ireland has become the twelfth ABB Drives Alliance member.

winding machinery from DC drive control to AC drive control. The company also manufactures frequency converters using variable speed drives to convert 240 v single-phase supplies to 415 v 3-phase up to 5.5 kW. This has proved popular with the rural farming industry where the expense of running in a 3-phase supply from the grid can be very expensive.

Hire drives is another service offered by Advantage Control. For further information contact Advantage Control on Tel 02844 613 782; Fax: 02844 613 087; Email: sales@advantagecontrol.co.uk; Web: www.advantagecontrol.co.uk. I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

13

I ANALYTICAL SERVICES

Proficiency Testing – What is it and what can it tell you? roficiency Testing (PT) schemes are a P key means by which analytical service purchasers can have confidence in a laboratory’s data and participation is expected if the laboratory has ISO17025 accreditation.

Each participant receives regular distributions of samples from homogenous bulk materials, prepared according to proven procedures. All participants receive identical samples that should remain stable within the timescale of the testing. Analyte concentrations are not declared until the final report is issued.

Laboratories conduct analyses according to their own analytical procedures.

Although this introduces variability from differing techniques and methods, the overall picture gained is a reflection of disparities among prospective service providers.

Not all laboratories are equally able to deliver quality analytical results.

So, how can PT aid analytical services purchasers in selecting a laboratory?

• Which schemes do they participate in?

• Are these appropriate for your sample

14

types and analytes?

• What is their scope of participation? Do they only take easily passed tests?

• Is the scheme provider accredited to ISO17043?

• Are they happy to discuss their PT performance?

• Do they monitor performance trends and act on their failures?

• What percentage of tests have they passed in the last year?

All laboratories at some time receive failing PT scores and these should be investigated via the laboratory’s quality system.

An individual failure does not mean the laboratory is incompetent, however a series of similar failures may indicate that perhaps

they have methodology, equipment or staff training problems.

Chemtest’s PT participation covers all essential contaminated land analysis suites and it participates in the foremost UK schemes: * CONTEST & Aquacheck (LGC) * LEAP (DEFRA) * AIMS (HSL) * R T Corporation.

Chemtest is proud of its exceptional PT performance and is always eager to discuss it with customers. Can other laboratories say the same? I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

I ENVIRONMENT

Air Movement Technology From Redwood Systems edwood Systems has over 50 years of experience in air movement technology.

R The company originally started with the design and manufacture of fans to meet customers’ specific requirements. It found that the fan was only a small part of the installation and it suited the customer to buy the complete system from one supplier, so Redwood Systems entered into the design and installation of full turn key installations and supplies full dust, odour and fume control installations on a small or very large scale. Additionally, the company

began designing and installing kilns for drying wood, rotary dryers for wood chip, flash dryers for plastic etc, including the heat generation units, be that in oil, wood, straw etc.

During the 1970’s Redwood Systems was supplying a lot of fans to grain mills resulting in an increase in the capacity of the grain dryers. On the strength of this Redwood Systems designed its own range of grain dryers and handling equipment and has been supplying turn key grain drying and handling plant for over 30 years, with the installation of a 200 tonnes per hour grain handling, cleaning and drying plant last year.

Over 10 years ago Redwood Systems started supplying fans for composting plants, and now supplies turn key installations complete with all the fans, ducting, odour control scrubbers and bio-filter design, and a full scada computer control and data logging system, which can be operated and monitored from any where in

the world. The company also supplies noise attenuation equipment for fans, plant and machinery or any equipment that is causing a noise issue.

Redwood Systems has a vast range of experience in a wide field of applications. It draws on this knowledge and designs its systems to suit the customer’s specific requirements. Redwood Systems is very well established and is well known for its ability, competence and service. I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

15

I ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY

FM Ireland – Generating New Ideas ith efficiency and value for money top W of the agenda in every organisation, FM professionals are finding themselves right in the front line. When a euro saved is worth four euros earned, all input costs are under scrutiny, and energy use and sustainability are obvious targets for savings. But as many facilities managers are recognising, the new world order presents opportunities as well as challenges - and for those seeking new ideas and innovative solutions, FM Ireland is a natural destination.

Now in its third year, FM Ireland has grown to become the largest business-to-business event of its kind in the country. It com-

18

bines a major Exhibition, which in 2010 attracted over 120 companies and organisations, with a two-day Conference supported

by IPFMA, SEAI, Engineers Ireland, IPFMA, ISIA, MEETA, IHEEM, BRE Ireland and IRI. In 2010, visitor and delegate numbers actually increased, clearly demonstrating the huge appetite for knowledge and solutions stimulated by the economic situation.

FM Ireland provides visitors with the upto-date technical knowledge and networking opportunities they need to make informed decisions. For 2011, the Conference programme has been expanded to include new sessions specifically aimed at the property management sector supported by IPFMA. Throughout the event, energy use and sustainability is an ever-present theme, with exhibiting companies and Conference sessions addressing energy issues across specialist areas, including security, energy and sustainability, building services, fire and safety and workspaces and environments.

Running concurrently with FM Ireland at RDS, Health & Safety Ireland is a new exhibition and conference addressing issues relating to occupational health, safety, well-being and the environment. Supported by HSA, IOSH, NISO, Health & Safety Times it gives visitors an even greater return on their investment in attending FM Ireland.

FM Ireland takes place at RDS Dublin on 9-10 March 2011; both the Exhibition and Conference are FREE to attend. For more details and registration, visit www.fmireland.com or call +44 (0) 1892 518877. I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

I SMART GRID

Potential for Ireland as International Test Bed for Smart Grid Development has already begun to play a leading role in the development of the smart grid Iandreland now needs to capitalise on the significant opportunities that exist for business to use Ireland as a test bed given this country’s research, skills and technologies. This is according to a new report published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and EirGrid. The report, ‘Ireland –Your Smart Grid Opportunity’, reveals that Ireland has a real opportunity to lead the way internationally as a result of our single electricity market, abundant renewable energy resources, and expertise in information technology, software and communications. This significantly increases the speed at which the rollout of new technologies can be achieved on the island and positions us to become a world leader in this area.

Ireland is already quite advanced in the development of a smart grid network. One of the largest and most comprehensive trials of smart metering internationally is taking place in Ireland, with the rollout of smart meters to 6,500 electricity customers since 2009 and the introduction of In Home Displays (IHDs) and Smart Web access for a sample group of users. This is a pilot initiative being conducted by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), SEAI, ESB Networks and Bord Gais. Up to two million electricity smart meters providing interval consumption data are to be installed in Irish homes as the Smart Grid is rolled out across the country.

Radical Change The smart grid will bring radical changes

I GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

GT Energy Makes Planning Application For €30 Million Geothermal Energy Plant T Energy, the Irish company specialisG ing in the harnessing of deep geothermal energy for the production of renewable heat and electricity, has lodged a planning application with South Dublin County Council for a geothermal power plant on a site at Greenogue Business Park in Newcastle, South County Dublin.

Geothermal energy is a natural renewable heat generated at the earth's core that radiates to the surface constantly.

GT Energy’s proposed Eur30 million development will be the first deep geothermal electricity generation plant in Ireland. The new power plant will be capable of generating up to 4 megawatts of electricity using geothermal energy, which will be fed into the national electricity grid. It will deliver base load electricity to the national grid, the equivalent of providing 8,000 homes with its entire electricity needs.

Subject to planning permission, it is expected that drilling of the wells will commence in 2011 and the plant is scheduled to be operational

and connected to the national grid in late 2012.

GT Energy recently entered into a Technology Partnership Agreement with ESBI that will see GT Energy generate up to 50 megawatts of electricity using geothermal energy by 2020. ESBI will assist the company with the design of the generating equipment and grid connection design work. I

in Ireland's electricity system enabling Irish consumers to better manage their electricity consumption, while also reducing costs and being less carbon intensive.

This will be driven through a transition to a smart grid that is more responsive, more dynamic and provides customers with real options to manage their electricity usage and costs. The smart grid will also enable more renewable energy to be connected to our electricity system, helping to secure Ireland’s energy supply and reducing our carbon intensity.

“Achieving an intelligent electricity system will bring significant benefits for consumers and for our economy. The development of the Smart Grid is exciting for all of us as it will provide a platform for real consumer participation. In fact consumer participation will not only become a possibility with the smart grid but also a necessity to maximise the benefits. This will fundamentally and positively change how consumers think about and use electricity,” comments Professor Owen Lewis, chief executive of SEAI. Leading Edge EirGrid chief executive Dermot Byrne says: “As a nation with a highly-skilled workforce, Ireland can be at the leading edge of developments in this area. Smart grid technology has the potential to benefit consumers and create opportunities for jobs in Ireland.”

Jerry O’Sullivan, managing director of ESB Networks, adds: “The smart grid is a key enabler for the delivery of climate change, an international challenge facing all of us. The strong expertise and history of delivery within Ireland’s electricity sector combined with focused academic research and government and industry support, is resulting in Ireland being to the forefront in the development of the smart grid. In addition to facilitating delivery of Climate Change targets, this opens many opportunities for the wider economy.” I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

19

I ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Dalkia Ireland and Stewarts Win European Energy Award n September 2010, Dalkia Ireland and Stewarts were selected by IService the European Energy Service Initiative (EESI) as ‘Best Energy Project in the Public Sector’ award winners. This Award honours outstanding efforts for the development and success of energy services for energy efficiency in Europe.

The aim of the winning project was to design, implement and manage energy consumption and cost saving solutions for the Stewarts Campus in Palmerstown, Dublin. The energy cost savings achieved over the contract duration will cover the annual operation, maintenance and financing charges incurred by Stewarts under a 15 year Energy Services Performance Contract. This ensures that Stewarts benefits from energy and cost savings as well as a reliable, controllable source of lighting, heating and energy for the campus clients. Stewarts’ savings are calculated as more than 1,050 tons of CO2 in heating and lighting consumption red-uctions.

Stewarts is a charitable foundation, with a 140-year tradition in the provision of care for people with intellectual disability. I

I MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY

€14 Million Investment at MERC A

€14 million investment into a new national ocean energy test facility has been given the green light as part of the Maritime and Energy Research Campus and Commercial Cluster (MERC) in Ringaskiddy, Cork. This will help to address a major opportunity for Ireland in the marine renewable energy sector, including wave, wind and tide.

Ireland has one of the best wind and wave resources in the world, as well as significant hotspots for tidal energy on the east coast.

The marine renewable energy sector will potentially yield thousands of new jobs as well as contributing to the future security of energy supply.

MERC brings together a strategic partnership between University College Cork (UCC), Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Irish Naval Service (INS) as 20

a flagship cluster to produce innovative technical solutions and services to support the Irish maritime and energy sectors. It provides a coherent approach to applied research and development in areas such as ocean engineering, maritime operations, maritime technology and ecosystem governance.

The MERC vision is for a cluster of world standing that secures Ireland’s position as an early leader in ocean energy and supports the development of Ireland’s maritime and energy sectors generally.

The campus includes the unique facilities in National Maritime College of Ireland, including its state-ofthe-art ship simulator suites, technical workshops and environmental, sea survival training pool.

The bundling of R&D, test tanks, simulators, naval

dockyard, training and port facilities, provides an opportunity to present an integrated package of both infrastructure and human capital to attract foreign direct investment into the region, as well as providing the ecosystem of innovation required for new products and services to boost the indigenous supply chain. I

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

renewable energy from ESB Independent Energy

E E N N E E R R G G Y Y

www.esbie.ie 01 - 862 8300 www.esbie.co.uk 0845 - 309 8138

P P O O II N N T T

ENERGY MARKET

Ireland at Forefront on Renewable Energy Ireland is playing a lead role in Europe in adding wind power and other renewables to our energy supplies, a new report states.

Ireland is on target to achieve its target of 40% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and in achieving that target, we will have one of highest levels of wind power as a percentage of system demand in Europe, according to the EirGrid Annual Renewable Report.

At the end of 2009 there was 1526 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy installed in Ireland.

This figure includes wind power (1260 MW), hydro (236 MW) and other small renewable energy sources (30 MW). By July this year, this had increased by a further 200MW of installed wind capacity. The amount of power generated from renewable sources in 2009 was over 14% and sufficient capacity is in place in Ireland to meet the target of 15% this year.

9 MW of wind generation was added to the power system in

Northern Ireland during 2009 bringing the total installed capacity there to 301MW. During 2009, 8.7% of demand was supplied from wind generation. As a result, Northern Ireland has already achieved its renewables obligation of 6.3% by 2012/13. It is anticipated that a further 70 MW of wind generation will be connected in Northern Ireland by the end of 2010.

“Every year, Ireland sends Eur6 billion of public monies out of the country to pay for imported gas, oil and coal. This figure is unsustainable and must be reduced. The sure-fire, guaranteed way of doing this is by developing and using our own indigenous renewable energy,” says Energy Minister Eamon Ryan TD. “With the best resources in Europe, we can afford to be ambitious in our plans. Our overall national target of 40% renewable electricity will be reached and surpassed to the point of export, when Ireland’s wind and waves can bring money back into this country.”

OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY

cornerstone of its strategy to develop a world class marine energy industry in South West England and the UK.

€3.6 Million Investment in Wavebob Wavebob, the Irish technology company specialising in ocean wave energy conversion, has secured a grant of $2.4 million (Eur1.83 million) from the US Department of Energy to prepare for a commercial-scale wave energy demonstration project planned for US waters in 2013.

Bord Gais will also invest Eur1.8 million in Wavebob, bringing the total investments to Eur3.6 million.

£42 Million Wave Hub ‘Plugged In’ and Open For Business The pioneering Wave Hub marine energy project in England has been ‘plugged in’ for the first time since its installation over the summer and is officially open for business. Wave Hub has created the world’s largest test site for wave energy technology by building a grid-connected socket on the seabed 16 kilometres off the coast of Cornwall in South West England, to which wave power devices can be connected and their performance evaluated.

The complete system has now undergone its first full test when it was connected to the grid network via a new substation that has been built at Hayle, where Wave Hub’s 33kV cable comes ashore. The system is now permanently energised and monitored, so Wave Hub is well and truly open for business.

The £42 million Wave Hub project has been developed by the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) and is a

system regularly generating power into the UK electricity grid and is the only tidal system to be accredited by OFGEM as a UK power station and also as a recipient of ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates). SeaGen is producing as much electricity as an average off-shore wind turbine of double the capacity and unlike wind power generation SeaGen’s output is wholly predictable.

World's Most Powerful Tidal Stream Turbine Passes Another Milestone SeaGen, the world’s first and only commercial scale tidal stream energy turbine has passed another electricity generation milestone by delivering its two millionth unit of electricity into the UK electricity grid. The 1.2MW SeaGen, located in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, is now operating 24 hours, seven days a week.

Developed by Bristol-based Marine Current Turbines, SeaGen is the only tidal energy

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

ENERGY LABELS

New Energy Labels for Televisions, Refrigerators, Dishwashers and Washing Machines The European Commission has for the very first time proposed 21

renewable energy from ESB Independent Energy E N E R G Y

www.esbie.ie 01 - 862 8300 www.esbie.co.uk 0845 - 309 8138

P O I N T

ELECTRIC MOTORING

Government Signs Electric Motoring Agreement With Toyota The Government has signed an made available and electric vehicles agreement with Toyota to deliver will be vehicle registration tax its new Prius Plug-In Hybrid exempt. vehicle to the Irish market. The Toyota is the third car manufacvehicle, which is the first Toyota turer with which the Government hybrid to use lithium-ion batterhas signed a Memorandum of ies, will be available on a trial Understanding in relation to electric basis here in advance of its full vehicles. This, along with previous launch to the market in 2012. As agreements with Nissan-Renault and part of the trial, three vehicles Mitsubishi, offers a clear indication will be based in Ireland. These that the Government is positioning will be placed with a number of Ireland as a global test-bed for elecleading Irish and multinational tric motoring and is committed to companies in order to test them creating a favourable environment under variable, everyday driving for the roll-out of electric vehicles Pictured (left to right): Padraig McManus, chief executive of ESB; Eamon here. conditions.

Ireland has set a target of 10% Ryan, TD, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Toyota has also reached agreement electric motoring by 2020, which and David Shannon, managing director of Toyota Ireland, at the with ESB, which will see the sharing equates to approximately introduction of the new Plug-in Prius Hybrid vehicles (PHV) to Ireland. of information between both organi225,000 vehicles. In order to sations in relation to the specificameet this target and incentivise the purchase of vehicles, a number tions and requirements of the recharging infrastructure. ESB is of state supports have been established. From January next year, a responsible for rolling out charging infrastructure - 2000 domestic grant of Eur5,000 towards the purchase of electric vehicles will be and 1500 on-street charge points nationwide. energy labels for TVs. For refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines the existing label scheme will be updated. Energy labels help consumers to choose products which save energy and thus money. They also provide incentives for industry to develop and invest in energy efficient product design.

For televisions, which represent almost 10% of the average household’s electricity bill, it will be the first time ever that manufacturers will have to declare the energy efficiency of their products, using an A to G scale. The label must be clearly shown on the TV set and in advertisements, if the prize of TV is mentioned.

Energy labelling of refrigerators-freezers, dishwashers and washing machines has already been hugely successful since its introduction in 1992: today 90% of appliances sold in the EU are in class ‘A’ – the best existing class. However, new technologies would allow reducing by half the energy consump-

sioning of the boiler will be carried out by the specialist firm, Green Energy Technology of Waringstown. The installation of the wood chip boiler is part of the charity’s drive to use sustainable and local sources of fuel.

tion of an A-class product. The EU has therefore decided to extend the scale upwards with three new classes: ‘A+’, ‘A++’, and ‘A+++’ for products with a better than A-performance.

The appliances covered by the newly adopted regulations represent one third of a household's electricity bill a year. The new labels will therefore have a positive impact on consumers' household expenses.

WASTE-TO-ENERGY

Kedco to Develop €45 Million Waste-to-energy Plant in London Pictured (left to right): Andrew

GREEN ENERGY

Forson,

manager

of

Centre

Ministries; and Patrick Flynn,

Castlewellan Castle Opts For Green Energy Technology

director

Castlewellan Castle, a 19th century castle within Castlewellan Forest Park, is installing a new heating system to be fuelled by locally grown wood chip. The castle is managed by Christian charity, Centre Ministries, and is used mainly as a residential conference centre.

Built in 1856, the castle has never had a true central heating system. Recently the castle has

been heated using expensive, inefficient, electric storage heaters, before that it was open fires. The new 200kW boiler will heat the entire castle and provide hot water to over 25 bedrooms and the kitchen.

Centre Ministries is purchasing a state-of-the-art 200kW Austrian wood chip boiler, one of the first of its kind in Ireland.

The installation and commis-

of

Green

Energy

Technology.

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

Cork-based bio-science energy company Kedco has been given clearance to commence construction of a Eur45 million waste-to-energy plant at Enfield in North London. Having recently received clearance from Enfield Council, Kedco is due to commence the 18 months construction project shortly. When completed, the new facility will convert 60,000 tonnes of waste wood a year into energy.

An Irish company listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, Kedco was established in 2005 as an energy group focusing on the produc23

renewable energy from ESB Independent Energy E N E R G Y

www.esbie.ie 01 - 862 8300 www.esbie.co.uk 0845 - 309 8138

P O I N T

OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY

World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Opens Vattenfall, one of the leading European energy companies, has officially opened the world’s largest offshore wind farm. The Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, located off England’s south east coast, has 100 turbines and will generate electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of over 200,000 British households.

To Vattenfall wind power is an important part of the energy mix.

Between 2009 and 2011, the company will double its wind power electricity generation, constructing nine wind farms in six countries to supply electricity equivalent to the demand of 800,000 households annually.

Thanet is so far the company’s largest offshore wind farm and a

significant investment in renewable energy generation. The electricity generated from the English Channel winds will constitute a significant increase of green energy in the UK and a considerable contribution to Vattenfall’s efforts to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from its electricity generation.

The construction of the 300 MW Thanet Offshore Wind Farm has taken just over two years and the wind farm is expected to operate for at least 25 years. At 300MW, it is the largest offshore wind farm in the world. Each turbine is up to 115 metres tall at its highest point. The wind farm covers an area of 35 square kilometres.

tion of electricity and heat using clean technologies. Kedco specialises in power generation from biomass fuel sources including agricultural waste.

ber of years. The Cregganconroe approval is a further important step for Gaelectric and represents our second planning success in Northern Ireland this year,” says Brendan McGrath, chief executive of Gaelectric.

Gaelectric currently has 25 projects at different stages of development on the island of Ireland. Gaelectric’s first wind farm in Roscommon is expected to be commissioned by year end 2010.

volume of litter to be disposed off. This type of plant can help Northern Ireland comply with the EU Nitrates Directive and avoid potential EU infraction costs.

WIND ENERGY

Gaelectric Secures Planning Approval For of €22 Million Wind Farm in Tyrone Poultry Biomass Fuelled Power Plant Approved Northern Ireland Envir-onment Minister Edwin Poots has approved plans for a biomass fuelled power plant at Glenavy, County Antrim. The power plant will be fuelled by poultry bedding and meat and bone meal (approximately 260,000 tonnes annually) to produce 30MW of electricity as an output of the incineration process.

The planning application by developer Rose Energy was submitted on 4 June 2008, accompanied by an environmental statement. A biomass fuelled incineration plant is currently recognised as the only proven technology for processing poultry litter on a commercial scale that significantly reduces the 24

Gaelectric, the Irish renewable energy company, has received planning approval for a 11.5 megawatt (MW) wind farm at Cregganconroe, Pomeroy, County Tyrone. The wind farm development will consist of five wind turbines and will be capable of generating energy equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of approximately 6500 homes.

The Cregganconroe wind farm will require a total investment of approximately Eur22 million, and is just one of a number of projects that Gaelectric currently has in planning in Northern Ireland, which together total approximately 130MW. “We have been working on planning for a range of sites in Tyrone and Antrim for a num-

Green Light for €200 Million Community Wind Farm Development A wind energy development cooperative in County Clare has received planning permission from Clare County Council to construct the largest community owned wind farm development in Ireland.

West Clare Renewable Energy (WCRE) plans to construct 28 3MW wind turbines on the western slopes of Mount Callan, a

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY MANAGEMENT, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

391-metre high mountain located between Ennis and Miltown Malbay. The company says the Eur200 million project will be capable of generating enough electricity to power every home and business in County Clare, as well as meeting the Limerick Clare Energy Agency’s 2010 targets for emissions reductions and renewable energy production.

WCRE consists of renewable energy firm West Clare Renewables and 30 farm families who collectively own 3,000 acres of primarily upland properties on Mount Callan. The landowners have a majority shareholding in the company and have also included a significant community fund aspect to the project.

WCRE chairman and Clarebased entrepreneur Padraig Howard points out that Clare is the only county on the Western seaboard of Ireland with the existing electricity grid infrastructure to accommodate the additional renewable energy power.