19 November 2020 The European Union has presented its nearly €800 billion offshore energy strategy today and aims to increase offshore wind capacity by fivefold over the next ten years. The bloc is proposing to increase the energy source’s production to at least 60 gigawatts of energy by the end Read more…
9 November 2020 Energy emissions fell by 4.5 per cent in 2019, according to the latest figures from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). The reduction is the biggest for the sector since 2011 and the body attributes the progress to electricity generation, with small improvements also seen in Read more…
11 September 2020 82 renewable energy projects have been given the green light following the first Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction. Solar farms made up the majority of successful applications to the scheme as 63 such projects received funding, while onshore wind farms accounted for 19 projects. The financial Read more…
5 August 2020 The provisional results of the first Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction sets the new government on the “right trajectory” for its renewable electricity target, the Minister for Climate Action has said. Under the auction, 19 wind farms and 63 solar projects around the country secured contracts Read more…
July 16th, 2019 A Hen Harrier, one of Ireland’s most threatened birds of prey, was killed on a wind farm in Co Kerry in April, according to the Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG). The rare female Hen Harrier was killed after colliding with a wind turbine near Knockrour East, according Read more…
February 4th, 2019 Wind energy is significantly cost-effective for Irish electricity consumers at less than one-euro per person, a new report has revealed. The report, commissioned by the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA), estimates that wind energy will have delivered €2.3 billion in savings in the wholesale energy market between Read more…
August 20th, 2018 Farmers in the UK and across continental Europe have been able to avail of opportunities from renewable energy for several years now. Meanwhile, it has been frustrating to watch the extremely slow progress made to date on climate and energy in Ireland as policies take an excessive Read more…
February 23rd, 2018 Wind energy was the most installed form of power generation in Europe in 2017, according to a report from Wind Europe. The EU installed more than 15GW of wind power capacity in 2017, an increase of 20 per cent from2016, the report found. Wind energy remains the Read more…
BirdWatch Ireland will shortly begin research to assess the potential impact that offshore renewable energy projects would have on seabirds and coastal water birds. The study precedes a boost in development of Ireland’s indigenous ocean energy industry, after the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland awarded €4.3 million in grants to various groups working in this field.
As part of this project, the organisation will develop a ‘Bird Sensitivity Map’ to inform energy companies of zones that pose a high risk to sea birds and ecosystems.
