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
ESB International (ESBI) has won the Large-Sized Company Category Award at the Engineers Ireland Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Company of the Year Awards 2010. The award recognises ESBI’s work in designing and implementing the Project Delivery Model (PDM) for large scale capital projects and the creation of a permanent project management office to support the … Read more
The European Commission has authorised The Netherlands under EU state aid rules to provide a €150 million grant for a CO2 capture and storage (CCS) demonstration project to a joint venture between E.ON and GDF Suez. The joint venture will construct a CO2 capture plant in the Rotterdam port area with the aim to capture … Read more
BrightSource Energy, the US-based developer of utility scale solar power plants, has started construction on its Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System on a 3,500 acre site in California. When constructed, Ivanpah will be the world’s largest solar power plant. Once completed the 392 megawatt gross (370 megawatts nominal) Ivanpah project will nearly double the amount … Read more