Ireland | Green Energy
Ireland is in the fortunate position of having more green energy
potential than most of the rest of Europe. The country has the natural
resources to meet the electric energy needs of much of the rest of Europe.
Abundant wave energy, tidal flows, wind, biomass, and even solar energy.
Carbon intensity of electricity consumed in Ireland in 2004 = 627g of CO2/kWh.
Sweden plans to break the country's
dependence on oil
by 2020
UN Inter-governmental panel on climate
change
The Tesla sports car - a new
electric car with 0-100 km/h acceleration of 4 seconds, equivalent
fuel consumption of under 2l/100 km, range 400 km from an overnight charge
from 230 VAC household electricity outlet, carbon fibre body, optional
solar-photoelectric system that can charge vehicle from sunlight for 80 km
range without using the power grid.
Full cell powered buses surpass 1 million km of service (pdf)
Enerfina
- green energy made simple
Venturi,
a stylish electric car powered by solar and wind energy -
images
Jatropha
- an inedible bio-fuel crop that can be grown in poor quality soil in a
range of climates, including arid - less likely to compete with food
production resources.
Wave energy generation in Galway Bay
(links updated 2007.10.16)
Ocean Energy
Wavebob
GE Energy takes equity stake in Ocean
Power Delivery (2006.04.21)
SEI Renewable Energy
Bookshop
Your home does not need central heating if it is properly insulated!
An article by energy conservation expert Amory Lovins which appeared in
the September 2005
issue of Scientific American, tells of how his home in Snowmass, CO, where
winter temperatures can dip to -44o C, has no conventional
heating system.
PeakOil - Must-read information on
the depletion of global oil and gas reserves (newsletter
archive)
This
uses a system of buoys placed between 800m and 8 km from the
shoreline to generate electricity with 80-90% availability (compared with
30-45% for wind and 20-30% for solar). The cost per kW/hr of
energy produced is about 3c (based on a 100 MW site) compared with 5 to 8c
for wind and around 22c for solar.
Irish Government
grants for wood chip / pellet boilers/stoves, heat pumps and solar
panels
Application process
Wind farm
finance
Real-time
wind-generation statistics for IRL
Turbine Manufacturers:
GE
Wind Turbines (US)
Vestas (DK)
Nordex (DE) - Nordex new
5MW offshore turbines
Marine Turbines
Marine turbines are installed on buoys and driven by tidal and ocean
currents rotating the turbine at between 10 and 20 rpm. Power output
is predictable based on tide tables, and by locating turbine farms in
various parts of the country a predictable, continuous supply of electricity
can be generated.
More...
Blue energy
Alternative proposal for
a marine turbine system
Are We
Powerless? Or Just Helpless?
EU Studies on alternative energy possibilities
Renewable energy for transportation - options, energy yield and costs
Annex 1 Energy source potential
Annex 2 Energy transformation technologies
Annex 3 Renewal fuel distribution
Annex 4 Vehicle technologies
By 2010 cargo vessels will account for 75% of Europe's sulphur dioxide
emissions -
enter the
new age of sailing ships
SkySails - giant kites (760 to
5000 M2)that can power large ships, reducing their fuel
consumption by 35%.
Denmark working to increase
wind
energy to 50% of supply by 2025
Sustainable Energy Ireland
The Saab 9-5
BioPower runs on an (almost) CO2 neutral E85 fuel (85% plant
derived ethanol [wheat, sugar beet, oilseed rape and
potatoes] + 15% gasoline
mixture). It will be exempt from parking charges in Sweden.
Why not in your country too? With agricultural over-production
affecting food products in most western countries, the widespread
deployment of transportation infrastructures using E85 is surely a
no-brainer?
Ford
Explorer Fuel cell powered 4WD SUV - range 560 km, weight 2560 kg, using
2 x 65 kW electric motors.
Ford introduces the Ford Focus E85 car on the Irish market
27.09.2005 Ford Motor Co launched the Focus FFV on
the Irish market. The vehicle has a 97kW 1.8 litre engine which complies
with the EUR 4 emission standards. Flexfuel, which costs about 20c/l
less than regular gasoline in Ireland, is being produced as a by-product of
the cheese industry in West Cork. The net CO2 emissions of the
vehicle (32 g/km) are about one fifth of the gasoline model.
Solar electric light fund (bringing
solar power to developing nations)
Ballard (fuel cell manufacturer)
The Irish Energy
Centre - promoting the development of a sustainable national energy
economy
Ireland
CO2
emissions (pdf)
Ireland - Greenhouse gas
emissions
Irish Buyer's Guide to
heat pumps
Producing hydrogen from
water
(applications include storage of surplus electricity
generated by wind and wave systems and powering fuel cell automobiles
and other modes of transportation)
Producing hydrogen from the
sun
CO2 Science.org
News clippings:
The Hydrogen
Economy (Physics Today)
Fuel cells give bank computer facility
seven nines power
backup reliability (2005.03.04)
GM pushes
ethanol use (2005.02.11)
Hydrogen fuel is not just hot air (2005.01.19)
Making ethanol from corn, wheat and barley waste
left in fields (Business Week (2005.02.16)
Oil debate revving up (2005.02.03)
New curriculum
on fuel cell technology being distributed to millions of students in the US
by General Motors (2005.01.18)
GM's
skateboard car (2005.01.26)
Hydrogen power goes on
fast track (2005.02.05)
Hydrogen fuel cell generator to provide energy for 10,000 homes on Long
Island, NY (2005.02.02)
Is the Sequel the
car of the future? (2005.01.28) Heuston Chronicle
High efficiency voltage booster for fuel cells
(2005.02.09)
Downloadable
publications from the Irish Energy Centre
Danish Energy Agency
Fuel Cell and Hydrogen news
Hyweb.de
- German Hydrogen Association Newsletter
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Letter
Hydrogen
FAQ
Fuel Cell
Information Center
Energy Supply in Ireland
The Electricity
Supply Board is the state owned incumbent in an Irish electricity market
that is undergoing deregulation. The industry is regulated by
CER (The Commission for Electricity
Regulation).
Electricity is generated by the ESB and
other independent entities including Airtricity (a green energy company specializing in
wind farms which supplies both business and residential customers).
A listing of electricity supply companies can be found
here.
Other links
The Village - a
new eco-sustainable development in North Tipperary
