Latest news with #EirGrid
Irish Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Europe's grid gridlock leaves us vulnerable to blackouts
The recent power crash across the Iberian peninsula has brought Europe's grid issues to the fore. Where large blackouts have occurred previously, stronger standards in system operation, planning and governance have been introduced – as they inevitably will be again when the cause of this latest outage emerges. What is making regulators, transmission systems operators and governments nervous, however, is the unavoidable and painful lesson on the vulnerability of Europe's grids given modern realities. An impressive level of renewable s capacity is coming on stream and that is about to be scaled up as the European Union seeks to address competitiveness issues. The aim is to enhance energy security and independence, countering dependence on volatile international gas markets and recognising that electrification should ensure cheaper energy. But there is a systemic problem and its extent was detailed in two reports this week. The first was an analysis of 32 transmission systems operators, including EirGrid . The second was a European Parliament report co-authored by Irish MEP Seán Kell y. READ MORE Outdated planning and obsolete mandates are slowing the upgrading and buildout of grids, delaying connection of renewable capacity and flexibility projects, which can make energy clean and affordable, concludes the Beyond Fossil Fuels analysis conducted by consultants E3G, Ember and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Too many grid operators are working according to outdated national scenarios that ignore the exponential scale of growth in renewables. The result is gridlock and wasted power. Kelly noted: 'Europe's grid is largely a relic of the 20th century, designed for a centralised fossil fuel-powered economy. Today, our energy system must integrate high volumes of decentralised, variable renewables while accommodating rising electricity demand from industry, heat pumps, EVs and data centres. To keep pace, we need a major upgrade to transmission and distribution networks.' Inconsistency is widespread. EirGrid is among only five transmission systems operators considering scenarios in which renewables replace nearly all coal and gas by 2035. Kelly noted what is probably Ireland's biggest problem – 'outdated grid infrastructure, planning delays and political inertia' that are stalling progress. 'We cannot continue to let critical grid infrastructure – like the North-South Interconnector – be held up for decades by planning delays and serial objectors,' he said. If the stalling is allowed continue, the risk of outage on our doorstep increases.
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
Three Kerry students honoured with awards for innovative climate-focused projects
Arush Satyavolu from Christian Brothers Secondary School Tralee took home the prestigious EirGrid Cleaner Climate Award for his project titled 'Highway Wind Turbines'. Arush's winning project examined how turbines can harness the power of passing cars. The student will now progress to the SciFest National Final in November, for a chance to represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. Moira Butler and Aisling Dillon of Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk claimed the runner-up EirGrid prize for their project on engineering sustainable artificial coral reefs. The Tralee students' projects were recognised for their demonstrations of technical excellence and tangible positive impact to energy and environmental sustainability. The winning submissions were chosen from over 100 projects on show at the college campus event. Over 200 students from 16 schools across Kerry and neighbouring counties came together with their second-level student peers and teachers to compete in the STEM fair, where they exhibited projects covering a broad range of topics from health and chemistry to renewable energy and sports science. SciFest@College is a programme of STEM fairs for second-level students, taking place in 16 regional colleges across Ireland. It has been a platform for second-level students to showcase their creativity, innovation and research skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Congratulating the winning entrants on their successful project, Catherine Daly, sustainability programme manager at EirGrid, said SciFest has been at the heart of inspiring innovation from secondary level students for 20 years. 'We are incredibly proud to continue to support this endeavour. As we work to ensure 80pc of Ireland's electricity comes from renewable sources, as per Government targets, we recognise the importance of fostering a future generation of problem solvers and critical thinkers, to transition to a clean, renewable energy grid,' Ms Daly said. 'EirGrid is playing a central role in achieving Ireland's climate ambitions and the level of engagement from students at MTU Kerry today showed the interest surrounding the environment and renewable energy. Congratulations to Arush, Moira and Aisling on their awards.'
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Wicklow graduate helping other students through EirGrid programme
Suzanne Jackson from Baltinglass is a business studies graduate of Dublin City University who has been working with students from Ellenfield Community College in Whitehall, Dublin, in addition to her other work on the EirGrid graduate programme and her MSc in Sustainability and Enterprise in UCC. Over the course of the school year, monthly workshops are held with second-year students from Ellenfield Community College, covering topics such as renewable energy, sustainability awareness, areas of study and presentation skills. Students are encouraged to think critically about environmental issues and the variety of ways they can make a difference, and making a difference was very much on display at Dollymount Strand in Dublin recently, where EirGrid staff and students from the college undertook a beach clean. Suzanne said: 'As a graduate who found my passion in sustainability, I am delighted to be able to share with students the opportunities in this space, both in school, through hobbies and into potential careers. 'It is important to foster a sense of responsibility and empowerment to the younger generation so they can make choices towards a cleaner, more sustainable future. This year marks the twelfth year of partnership between EirGrid and Ellenfield Community College, providing students with ongoing support and guidance throughout the academic year. 'I believe in the power of knowledge and confidence and each session is designed to be interactive, engaging and offer the students plenty of opportunity to ask questions and contribute.' Facilitated through the Action on Education Programme with Business in the Community Ireland, an organisation supporting sustainable change in Irish business, the programme sees EirGrid graduates work with students from the north Dublin secondary school, helping to address equal access to information around education and employment.
Irish Examiner
09-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Data centre firm launches two new projects in Wicklow
Irish-based data centre developer Echelon has officially launched two new projects in Wicklow which the company said will create over 700 jobs when construction is completed. The two data centres are named the DUB20 and DUB30 facilities and Echelon said it will invest an estimated €3.5bn in their construction. The company said this would create 2,600 construction jobs and 715 permanent positions at the two facilities once they are operational. The DUB20 campus is being developed on the site of the former Irish Fertilisers Industries plant at the Avoca River Business Park in Arklow while the DUB30 campus is being developed some 5km away at Kish Business Park. Construction on DUB20 will commence this year, with construction on DUB30 to follow after. Graeme McWilliams, Echelon chief operations officer said these new sites represent 'responsible data centre development which supports regional development and job creation in partnership with good grid citizenship'. 'The energy demands of DUB20 and DUB30 will underpin investment in almost 1GW of wind-generated renewable energy, power that will help reinforce the national grid, increase Ireland's energy security, and support our transition from fossil fuels to clean, green energy sources.' Last year, DUB20 received grid connection from EirGrid after a pause on the connections for large-scale data centres. The grid connection will allow the company to begin work on a 220kV substation at the site that will allow access to the grid for up to 800MW of wind energy generated off the coast of Wicklow in the future. Echelon Data Centres is an Irish-based international data centre infrastructure developer. It has operations in the UK, Europe as well as North America. The new data centres are supported by Taoiseach Micheál Martin who spoke at the launch in Arklow on Friday. 'These two large-scale facilities demonstrate Echelon's commitment to responsible data centre development,' Mr Martin said. 'They are located in a regional area where the grid isn't constrained, they will have the capacity to generate and dispatch power to the grid when needed, and they will facilitate the generation of renewable energy resources that will, in turn, help decarbonise Ireland's electricity system.' An Economic Impact Assessment, paid for by Echelon and conducted by accountancy firm KPMG, found that the data centres could have a significant impact on the economy. It said the economic impact could be €7.5bn during construction and €801m per year once both campuses are operational. Read More Microsoft vows to protect European operations and unveils data centre expansion
RTÉ News
09-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Electricity demand falls in April from winter peaks
Wind power met 27% of electricity demand in April, while solar power provided for 4% of electricity used across the country, new figures from grid operator EirGrid shows. 35.2% of electricity came from renewable energy last month, Eirgrid said. Gas was again the single biggest source of electricity generation for the month at 41.5%, and electricity imported via interconnection met 16.5% of demand. The provisional data from EirGrid also shows that electricity demand in April dropped to the lowest level since September after a winter period which saw new demand peaks recorded. Overall electricity system demand stood at 2,792 GWh (Gigawatt Hours) for April - one of the only months since September where demand fell below the 3,000 GWh mark, alongside February which is a shorter month. As forecast in EirGrid's annual Winter Outlook report, electricity demand was strong across the month, with peak demand passing the 6,000 MW (megawatt) mark for the first time on January 8 during a particularly cold period. Megawatt (MW) values provide snapshots of electricity demand at a particular moment in time, whereas Gigawatt Hours (GWh) reflects electricity use over a longer period. Diarmaid Gillespie, Director of System Operations at EirGrid, said the demand profile for electricity is changing somewhat as the warmer weather and longer days reduces the need for heating and lighting. "As we come towards summer we'll continue to rely on a mix of generation sources to maintain a stable supply of power on the electricity grid," he added.
