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.