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Ireland Invests Millions In Renewables Research

Posted: 06/05/2005

Ireland has spent Euro 7 million to develop renewable energy projects. The focus of the spending has been on wind and biomass, which have “considerable potential” in Ireland, according to a report from Sustainable Energy Ireland on its administration of a Euro 12 million funding program that was launched in 2002 and will finish next year. The program is designed to stimulate uptake of renewable energy and develop technologies.

SEI has approved funding for 72 projects, including a new manufacturing process for wind turbine blades, the demonstration of the first large-scale commercial wood pellet boiler in Ireland and research into the ‘WaveBob’ power device. “Ireland has the potential to supply energy from many renewable energy sources in addition to wind and hydro; these include biomass, ocean energy, solar and geothermal,” said chief executive David Taylor. “However, each of these energy sources faces a variety of barriers such as lack of operating experience and/or poor commercial return.”

“As the market for renewable energy products grows, Ireland will need access to the requisite expertise to support the development and deployment of these technologies” and the renewables program is a “valuable asset in helping to overcome potential barriers and drive the development of the renewable energy sector in Ireland,” he explained.

SEI was established in May 2002 as a statutory authority to promote development of a sustainable national energy economy. It is funded by the Irish government under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 with programs partly financed by the European Union.

“It is only through ongoing research, both at policy level and at a technology level, that we can identify opportunities such as the emerging competitiveness of our renewable energy resources, and subsequently prioritize investment as part of our effort to achieve compliance under the Kyoto Protocol,” said Taylor. The Kyoto Protocol came into force in February but Ireland still faces “significant challenges in meeting its targets” as energy-related CO2 emissions were 39% above 1990 levels in 2003.

“In focusing the RD&D program on priority technologies, SEI is assisting Ireland in maximizing the potential of its most valuable renewable energy resources,” added natural resources minister Noel Dempsey.

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