Dan Danaher
CLARE County Council has approved a long-term strategy to harness County Clare’s renewable energy resources.
The Clare County Renewable Energy Strategy 2014-2020 has been incorporated into the Clare County Development Plan following a four-week long public consultation process earlier this year.
The strategy outlines the potential for a range of renewable resources, including bioenergy and anaerobic digestion, micro renewables, geothermal, solar, hydro, energy storage, onshore and offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.
Mayor of Clare, Councillor Joe Arkins lauded the council for taking a “pro-active approach” to facilitating renewable energy development, as well as becoming one of the first local authorities in Ireland to incorporate such a strategy into their County Development Plan.
“The development of this Strategy has been one of the primary objectives of this Council during the past 5 years and complements the ongoing implementation of Clare’s first Wind Energy Strategy, which has already been incorporated into the County Development Plan,” he said.
Mayor Arkins added: “This new Strategy positions County Clare as a driver for local and regional investment in renewable energy through harnessing the potential of its abundant natural resources. The plan will not only guide the location and development of renewable energy proposals and ancillary businesses, but will also attract inward investment and contribute to helping Clare become a low carbon county,” he said.
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East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.