A £70 million investment fund to secure Scotland’s place at the forefront of the global offshore wind industry has been announced by the Scottish Government. The National Renewables Infrastructure Fund – to strengthen port and manufacturing facilities and supply chain provision for manufacturing offshore wind turbines and related components – will leverage significant private sector … Read more
The Government has signed an agreement with Toyota to deliver its new Prius Plug-In Hybrid vehicle to the Irish market. The vehicle, which is the first Toyota hybrid to use lithium-ion batteries, will be available on a trial basis here in advance of its full launch to the market in 2012. As part of the … Read more
Agreement that has been reached with the EU Commission on the content of Ireland’s 2nd National Action Programme (NAP) under the Nitrates Directive. This new programme will run to the end of 2013. A comprehensive public consultation process on the proposed NAP revisions commenced in June this year; 45 submissions were received including from the … Read more
Competitive reliable and sustainable power will be key to economic recovery in Ireland and Northern Ireland, it was stated today at the opening of a major energy conference in County Louth. The 2010 EirGrid Group Customer Conference, entitled ‘Working together for a sustainable future’, was addressed by EirGrid Group chairperson Bernie Gray and by group … Read more
Environmental resources have been developed by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the EPA to support primary and second level teachers who are exploring the key environmental issues facing Ireland today. The resources are: * Eco Detectives, a teacher resource pack of environmental and climate change investigations for primary schools, produced … Read more
Castlewellan Castle, a beautiful 19th century castle within Castlewellan Forest Park, is installing a new heating system to be fuelled by locally grown wood chip. The castle is managed by Christian charity, Centre Ministries, and is used mainly as a residential conference centre. Built in 1856, the castle has never had a true central heating … Read more
A group of Irish business leaders has written to the Taoiseach asking him to bring the proposed legislation on climate change to the Oireachtas before the end of the year. ‘Irish Corporate Leaders on Climate Change’ say the legislation is urgent for a number of reasons. It will bring the clarity and certainty to government … Read more
The new global deal to protect nature agreed at the recent Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Japan represents a critical step in slowing the current extinction crisis and ensuring that developing countries and their indigenous traditional peoples benefit from the natural wealth harbored in their forests … Read more
The Crown Estate, which owns the UK seabed out to the 12-nautical mile territorial limit and around half of the foreshore, has awarded an agreement for lease for the Inner Sound tidal project to MeyGen, a joint venture between Atlantis, International Power and Morgan Stanley. With a capacity of up to 400 MW, the project … Read more
A new biogas power station in the UK showcases how in future cities and towns will be powered by locally produced energy. The facility, built near the English town of Cirencester, is powered by agricultural biomass, including chicken litter and pig manure, allowing residents to benefit from this low cost alternative to oil, coal and … Read more