Spirit of Ireland Lecture

This presentation will proceed as planned, however we are unable to webcast it and we hope to reorganise a webcast for another time.

INNOVATION OR FANTASY – PUBLIC LECTURE TO EXPLORE POTENTIAL OF WIND ENERGY

A public lecture on the very topical subject of our energy resources will be held In the Sligo Park Hotel on Monday 19th October (8.00pm start). The lecture is being hosted by Engineers Ireland and will focus on the ‘Spirit of Ireland’, the National Project for Energy Independence.

Graham O’Donnell of the ‘Spirit of Ireland’ Project Team outlined the background to the project. ‘The Spirit of Ireland initiative was launched last May, and has received a lot of favourable publicity. In essence, this ambitious proposal involves storing wind energy in pumped seawater reservoirs along the western Irish coast. Wind is an intermittent resource which varies with the seasons and with weather conditions. Electricity demand also varies enormously over a given 24 hour period. While there is an abundant wind energy resource in Ireland, output cannot be controlled to meet varying energy demand as is typical with conventional power stations. Therefore to utilise surplus wind energy when it is available, the energy produced needs to be stored.’

Innovative

The Spirit of Ireland project proposes to construct water storage reservoirs at natural high points along the coast. Wind energy would be used to pump seawater from sea level to the upper reservoirs. This water is then released through turbines which generate electricity when needed. This solves the problem of matching supply with demand such as using up surplus wind energy at night when demand is low.

While this proposal is innovative, there are significant challenges also including agricultural, environmental and social impacts.

Ireland already has one such pumped storage facility at Turlough Hill in Co Wicklow. Built in the late 1960’s the upper reservoir contains over 2 million cubic metres of water which is controlled to provide a balance between day and night time electricity demands.

Energy Costs

Michael Carty, Chairman of Engineers Ireland Northwest Region, anticipates a very high level of interest in the lecture. ‘In economic terms, Ireland’s future is bound up with the cost, security and stable supply of energy. At present we are highly dependent on imported fossil fuels and are therefore exposed to volatile international prices for oil and gas. In addition to having a direct influence on our cost competitiveness, our reliance on imported fossil fuels raises the carbon intensity of our economy and works against imminent Kyoto targets.’

The Spirit of Ireland project as proposed, is so vast in scale i.e. provide all of Ireland’s energy requirements within 5 years, that it will directly impact on Irelands economy, security of energy supply and carbon targets. This initiative to harness a natural resource has generated both support and scepticism but nonetheless kick-started a national debate on large scale investment in renewable energy.

Join Engineers Ireland northwest on Monday 19 October in Sligo Park Hotel at 8:00pm to learn more. Graham O'Donnell, Electrical & Electronics Engineer, is one of the leaders of this project, has over 20 years experience of international power networks and will present the lecture.

Engineers- Overseas Voluntary Work Options

8.00pm, September 21st, Sligo Park Hotel

(Recordings now available - see below)
Volunteering offers one of the most rewarding ways to beat the current recession and make a real difference. Have you considered sharing your Engineering skills and translate generosity into practical, life-changing achievements? Engineers Ireland Northwest invites you to an evening lecture by both Voluntary Organisations and Engineers who have previously volunteered (including Voluntary Services Overseas VSO and the Niall Mellon Township Trust), which will provide a unique insight into the workings of these charities, the technical and logistic challenges they face, and the experience on offer. All are welcome.

Speakers:

Christy O’Sullivan is Operations Director with RPS Consulting Engineers and is based in Galway. He has significant experience of working overseas in developing countries, including Zimbabwe, Sudan, Malawi and Tonga. Christy has worked with a variety of Aid Agencies, including APSO (Irish Government), Concern (Ireland), Concern (UK), IFAD and the EU, and his presentation gave a real insight into the challenges and experiences which a volunteer might expect when working overseas.

(Contact - christy.osullivan@rpsgroup.com)

Dominic Loughran has been Director of Operations with the Niall Mellon Township Trust for the past year. Before that Dominic was a volunteer with the charity for four years. Dominic was foreman of the Gardening team who planned the Garden of Hope project as an annex project to the Building Blitz in 2006. Dominic is a qualified Accountant and Horticulturalist, and is a registered speaker with the Royal Society of Horticulturalists. Dominic’s presentation gave an overview of the Niall Mellon initiative, focussing on the technical and logistical challenges.

(Contact - dominic.loughran@nmtownshiptrust.com)

The webcasts of this event were recorded: here are the links:

Christy O'Sullivan - 20 minutes

Dominic Loughran - 18 minutes

Contact details for Aid Agencies

Energy from the Ocean

Energy from the Ocean

The next and final lecture in the 2008-2009 series entitled ‘Energy from the Ocean’ is scheduled for Monday night next 23.03.2009 at 8:00 in Mespil Room of the Sligo Pak Hotel.

The lecture will be presented by Colm de Búrca, Manager Ocean Energy at ESB International and Gerry White also of ESBI. Colm will describe the significant ocean energy resource that exists off the Irish coast and the technologies under development to harness the resource such as the tidal power generating device installed in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. The 1.2 megawatt SeaGen turbine will generate one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable forms of energy with zero carbon emissions. It will be capable of providing enough clean electricity to power 1,000 homes.

Please note that the event is free and open to all.

This will not be webcast live but will be available as a recording after the event. Please check back here later.

Unable to Webcast Fire Safety Lecture

Please not that we are not in a position to webcast this evening lecture. you are, of course, free to attend at the actcual location.

The North-West Region is pleased to invite you to attend the following CPD approved evening lecture:

Title: Fire Safety - The same old story, yet so many die each year?

Speaker: Paul Coyle, Chief Fire Officer, Sligo Fire Station

Date: Monday, 9th February, 2009

Time: 20.00pm

Venue: IT Sligo

Please note that this is a CPD event - those viewing the lecture by webcast can include it in the CPD hours.

All are welcome and there will be no entrance fee.

For further information, please click on the following link: http://www.engineersireland.ie/diary/SectorEventDetails.pasp?INT_SECTOR_ID=96&MenuID=7&SectorName=

For further information, please contact:
Seamus Lee, Secretary,
North West Region, Engineers Ireland
Email: slee@vha.ie
Tel: 087 684 1447

Achieving A-Rated Concrete and Timber Frame Homes

The North-West Region of Engineers Ireland

Invites you to attend an Evening Lecture and Web-cast

Achieving A-Rated Concrete and Timber Frame Homes

Presented by:

Liam Smyth,
Head of Marketing and Technical with Irish Concrete Federation

Gary Treanor
Chairman of the Irish Timber Frame Association

8:00pm Monday 19th January 2009
Bush Hotel, Carrick on Shannon

The webcast is hosted with the assistance of the online distance learning unit in the School of Engineering, Institute of Technology, Sligo. (www.itsligo.ie/online) and is hosted on the Engineers Ireland Web-casting platform at: https://engineersireland.webex.com/ . It is recommended that you register in advance of attending the event.

CPD Accredited
All welcome & no entrance fee

Recording is available here (Recording starts about 2 minutes into the first presentation and sound is poor)

Further details:

In light of additional amendments to the Building Regulations in 2008 which require a 40% improvement in energy efficiency on previous regulations as well as requirements that all new homes must be accompanied by BER (Building Energy Rating) Certificate, this presentation and webcast is designed to be informative and will be of particular interested to anyone who wishes to learn more about Energy Efficient Home Construction.

The presentation will be provided by two guest speakers, both engineers and professionals in the concrete and timber frame industries.
Gary Treanor is Director of Business & Product Development with Kingspan Century and the current Chairman of the Irish Timer Frame Manufacturers Association.

Liam Smyth is Head of Marketing and Technical with Irish Concrete Federation, the national trade federation for the concrete and aggregate industries.

Timber Frame has developed rapidly as a house construction method in Ireland in the last two decades. It is recognised for quality control, speed of construction and for improved insulation properties. The House of Tomorrow Programme and product development advances including pre-insulation and panel fabrication provide improved air tightness, insulation and thermal efficiencies designed to achieve the highest possible energy ratings. Gary will detail the benefits of using timber frame construction further as well as provide a summary introduction to recent changes to the Building Regulations and BER Certification.

The first 2 A-Rated houses built in Ireland were concrete built. Liam Smyth will provide an outline of the use and benefits of concrete construction, including a step by step guide to achieving A rating and the use of the recently published Acceptable Construction Details for Thermal Bridging. Liam will also present details of the ICF’’s Zero Carbon Emissions Project which is due for completion this Summer.

The event is in the Bush Hotel, Carrick on Shannon on Monday 19.01.2009 at 8:00 pm, followed by a Q&A session and light refreshments. There is no admission charge and all are welcome.