Wind Power News: Ireland
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Wind boom means price spikes, threatens plants — study
The dramatic growth in wind turbines around the British Isles may lead to huge spikes in power prices by 2030 and threaten the viability of backup plants needed for calm periods, according to Poyry Energy Consulting.
Britain and Ireland have ambitious targets to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, with wind turbines expected to reduce most of the climate warming gasses from the power sector.
But the level of wind energy envisaged will lead to extreme price swings by 2030, with times of . . .
Best-selling writer appeals Clare wind farm decision
Author Niall Williams says he will be forced to move from his west Clare home if a planned 120m (395ft) high wind farm is built just more than 500m from his property.
The author of seven novels, Williams has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against a Clare County Council decision to grant planning permission to Aonghus Coughlan for a two-turbine wind- farm.
The Dubliner and his wife, Christine Breen, moved to Ms Breen’s ancestral family home in the isolated village . . .
Engineers call for halt to wind farm investment
A new report from the Academy of Engineering will today call for a halt to investment in wind farms and power interconnections because of the huge cost it will place on industry.
It will state that Ireland already has the most expensive electricity in Europe and that this is causing a major problem for national competitiveness, putting Irish industry under severe pressure at the worst possible time.
The Government has set a target that by 2020 renewable power will meet 40pc of . . .
Wind farm turned down over landslide fear
An Bord Pleanála has refused planning permission for a wind farm near Dunkineely over fears that construction could lead to landslides and water pollution.
Eco Wind Power Limited was granted planning permission by Donegal County Council for the nine-turbine wind farm in the townlands of Corkermore and Meenadreen, eight kms north of Dunkineely, 7.5 kms east of Ardara and 7.5kms north-east of Killybegs.
The board overturned the decision after the granting of planning was recommended by An Bord Pleanala’s own inspector . . .
Bord na Mona reveals plans for €130m windfarm development
Bord na Mona has announced details of a €130m windfarm development for Mountlucas, Co Offaly, as part of its €1.3bn conventional energy and wind strategy.
The company is planning to build a windfarm at the site, which will host a total of 32 turbines and will be located on the existing cutaway bog with a generating capacity of 80MW.
In total, Bord na Mona plans to have 1,500MW of installed power capacity in place by 2020, with 700MW of that coming from . . .
Bord na Mona plan Offaly wind farm
Bord na Mona has announced details of a major development for Mountlucas. The company is planning to build a wind farm which will comprise a total of 32 turbines.
The proposed development, to be known as Mountlucas Wind Farm and which will be located on the existing cutaway bog, will have a generating capacity of 80MW. The large scale development will also include access trackways, crane hard-standings, underground cables between the turbines and a 110 kV electricity substation.
The company say . . .
Our wind energy plan is pure folly
Noting that June 15 was dubbed Global Wind Energy Day by the wind industry, with the catchy slogan “Wind Power Works”, I decided to have a look at Eirgrid’s excellent website to see how the hundreds of wind turbines installed across Ireland were working on the day in question.
Ireland now has over 1,000MW of wind power installed.
On June 15, all those wind turbines scattered across our beautiful landscape were generating a meagre 40MW. Ireland needs about 4,000MW of electricity to . . .
Tilting at windmills may be costly for taxpayers
This report concludes that an investment of €14.75bn in wind energy projects would also be capable of supporting in excess of 10,500 jobs up to 2020.
This may indeed be true, but what about beyond 2020?
Deloitte and others may be able to pin down a figure for investment, and extrapolate job numbers from this quite accurately, but no one can claim to accurately call the true cost of an energy grid which by then will be hugely reliant on wind as . . .
Dispute over Cork wind farm in court
A dispute over an alleged agreement for a €135 million wind farm in Co Cork has come before the Commercial Court.
Denis Cremins claims SWS Energy Ltd is in breach of a joint venture agreement (JVA) with him for the construction of a 29-turbine wind farm at Knockacummer, and is seeking orders restraining the development unless all conditions attached to it are fully complied with.
He claims the wind farm now under construction is “entirely different” to that for which permission was . . .
Cavan firm to develop ten wind-farms
Cavan based firm Galetech Energy has announced an ambitious development plan to develop over ten wind-farms in Ireland.
These projects will be located in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Westmeath, Meath, Sligo, Offaly, Laois and Longford.
When constructed, the projects will produce over 370MW of pollution-free green electricity, capable of sustaining the energy requirements of over 135,000 houses annually.
The development and construction of these projects will result in the investment of €740 million by the company, of this figure in excess of €180 . . .
