Tag Archives: wind energy

Detailed imaging of a massive steam ship, which sank off the Clare coast 125 years ago, have been revealed as part of the most detailed underwater survey ever undertaken in Ireland. On November 26, 1898, the SS Premier was undertaking the final leg of its voyage from Hamburg in Germany to Limerick when it sank just off Scattery Island. The ship, which was on charter to the Limerick Steamship Company at the time, was carrying a cargo of 600 tonnes of sugar when it went down. The SS Premier sank after it was involved in a collision with the paddle steamer, The Mermaid, between Scattery Island and Kilcredaun Point. The vessel sank within fifteen minutes of the collision and its crew took to the boats and were picked up by a passing steamer. The Mermaid’s bow was badly damaged and was forced to return to Limerick for repairs. This new imagery of the SS Premier has been compiled as part …

COILLTE is planning a second East Clare wind farm development, as part of a joint venture to develop a renewable energy generation facility between Broadford and Sixmilebridge.  The company, together with the ESB, operate as FuturEnergy Ireland. They are the developers of the 19-turbine Carrownagowan Wind Farm, on the slopes of Slieve Bearnagh, which recently secured planning permission directly from An Bórd Pleanála under the Strategic Infrastructure Act. Their latest Clare venture is the Knockshanvo Wind Farm, whose precise specifications have not yet been outlined. The company has promised “a comprehensive community engagement programme” as two liaison officers begin to introduce the project in the locality. A website for the project estimates that the application will be submitted, as Strategic Infrastructure, at the end of 2023.  According to the company, the proposed site is located around 3km south of Broadford and 4km north-east of Sixmilebridge. The wind farm project is described as being “in the early stages of development”. A …

With Ireland working to reduce its carbon emissions and gain energy security, wind power is the obvious choice, so Bridget Ginnity looks at where we stand in harnessing this renewable resource WIND power has had a big impact on Ireland. Around the 9th century the Vikings harnessed the power of the wind to sail thousands of miles and landed on our shores, the first long distance travel in our hemisphere. And, 1,200 years later, the Danes are still harnessing the power of the wind. They currently have over twice Ireland’s wind generating capacity and a major offshore development with enough generating power for twice their population is well advanced. Ireland’s wind capacity Although not as successful as our distant relatives, Ireland has made substantial progress in wind generation. An average of 40% of our power now comes from wind, a significant achievement. The target is 80% renewable electricity by 2030, a challenging target but achievable if we proceed quickly. Wind …

AN ATTEMPT is to be made to secure extra time to iron out controversial elements of the forthcoming County Development plan. A group of 11 council members have indicated their intention to seek an extension of time for the creation of the blueprint which will cover the period 2022-2028. They have cited concerns about the impact of national policies on rural Clare. Population projections contained in the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the distribution of new development have alarmed many members of the council. They have also taken issue with the requirement that lands with no prospect of being serviced in the lifetime of the county development plan be de-zoned. At the local authority meeting this week, Councillors Murphy, Hayes, Cooney, Gerry Flynn, Norton, Crowe, Kelly, O’Callaghan, Colleran-Molloy, O’Gorman and O’Brien tabled a motion calling for the extension of time in light of new guidelines on rural housing and wind energy, as well as changes brought about by the pandemic. …

PRE-PLANNING consultation has begun in South East Clare as a German renewable energy company prepares to lodge an application for an eight-turbine windfarm, early next year. RWE Renewables Ireland Limited (RWE), which describes itself as one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, launched an eight-week pre-planning consultation exercise at the start of this month. It says that feedback received from residents and stakeholders – whom it aims to meet virtually while Level 5 restrictions continue – will inform the design of the windfarm, proposed for a 320-hectare site 6km south west of Killaloe and 1.5km north of Bridgetown. As a mandatory element of windfarm projects, RWE will administer a community fund in the event of securing planning permission from Clare County Council, a figure which could range from €168,000 to €288,000 per annum for 15 years. A brochure on the project also outlines the potential for community shared ownership. It details the creation of up to 70 jobs during …

CALLS for a public meeting between Coillte and members of the East Clare community are gathering momentum, following a survey of reactions to a wind farm development proposed for the slopes of Slieve Bearnagh. The survey, which was carried out by a local group called Bodyke Voice on Wind Farm, found that a large percentage of a sample of responses favoured a public meeting. Susan McMahon of the Cobbler’s Rest, a member of the group, said that 120 responses in total had been submitted to the survey. “Because we are a voluntary group and can’t afford to subscribe to a survey, we could only look at 40 of the responses submitted,” she explained. “Of those, 92% favoured a public meeting with Coillte. I’d estimate that around 60% of the responses we could see were not in favour of the project.” Ms McMahon herself said that she did not have an agenda with regard to the proposed wind farm, but wanted …

PLANS for a multimillion Euro East Clare wind farm are to be lodged next month, The Clare Champion has learned. Coillte has confirmed that it is currently finalising an application for 19 turbines on a 750 hectare site, around a-mile-and-a-half from Bodyke, on the slopes of Slieve Bearnagh. The proposal, which will seek 30-year permission for The Carrownagowan Wind Farm, will be lodged directly to An Bórd Pleanála as strategic infrastructure. “Our project team is targeting a submission date towards the end of June and this will be advertised prior to final submission,” outlined Andy Fox, Community Engagement Manager with Coillte. Mr Fox also noted that a detailed brochure on the project had recently been widely distributed across East Clare, and that consultations were continuing, in line with the restrictions imposed by Covid-19. The site is described by Coillte as an appropriate location to access the national grid via the substation at Ardnacrusha. The company also notes it is designated …

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 …