10 Mar, 2010 By Mary
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland unveils ambitious 5 year strategic plan

Media Release
10th March 2010

~ The five-year lifetime of this strategy will see savings worth a total of €6 billion delivered, and support 5,000 – 10,000 jobs each year ~

~ Authority will play a leading role in Ireland’s sustainable energy drive ~

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has today (Wednesday, 10 March, 2010) unveiled a five-year strategic plan with a mission of transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices, and a vision of making Ireland a recognised global leader in sustainable energy. Sustainable energy practices are already delivering significant savings to the Irish economy, with lowered business costs and household energy bills resulting from efficiency measures, and reduced fossil fuel imports from our increased use of renewable energy. Over the course of SEAI’s five-year strategy, new savings worth €6 billion over its lifetime will be generated by sustainable energy actions, at the same time supporting 5,000 – 10,000 jobs every year.

The strategic plan builds on the strong foundations already established by the Authority over the past eight years, and sets out the opportunities and actions for Ireland to become a global leader in both the use of sustainable energy and in the clean technology space where Ireland already has a considerable competitive advantage. The goals and actions for SEAI are detailed under the key heading areas of: electricity supply, heat supply, energy in buildings, energy efficient products and behaviour, energy in transport, research and innovation, and policy development and analysis.

Commenting on the strategy, Energy Minister Eamon Ryan TD, said: “Government has set a path for Ireland’s new economy. It’s green, innovative, knowledge-based and has the potential to set Ireland apart as a leading low carbon economy in the world. Above all it is sustainable. The new economy will bring savings – the EUR6 billion we can save over the lifetime of this strategy is the equivalent of our annual fossil fuel bill. It will bring investment and most importantly jobs for our people.

SEAI’s mission for the future is truly transformational. In the past 8 years, SEAI has grown as an organisation and shown it can deliver real change. Today’s strategy combines vision with evidence-based policy and tested initiatives. I wish SEAI well in the fulfilment of this vision and its delivery on the ground.”

SEAI Chief Executive, Professor Owen Lewis said: “In the lifetime of this strategy, I envisage that Ireland will have made substantial further gains – in renewable electricity, in upgrading the efficiency of buildings, in improving energy efficiency in business. We also want to see the start of strong export-led growth in sustainable energy products and services. While the strategy is focused on the future, the delivery of it is very much based in action now. Sustainable energy actions over the course of the next five years will deliver total savings worth €6 bn over their lifetime and at the same time support five to ten thousand jobs every year.” 

Continuing he said: “And this is only the tip of the iceberg – ultimately we see that within the next 15 years, Ireland will develop a global reputation for research and development and clean technology services and products.  Within 25 years, we envisage a national energy system totally rooted in local, green electricity, including a thriving marine renewable energy sector, and Ireland will actually be exporting electricity to Europe. These are the real opportunities for Ireland that will reduce our import dependence and our emissions, while at the same time creating jobs and enhancing competitiveness. What is required is a commitment from all levels of society to make this vision a reality for Ireland.”

Concluding Professor Lewis said:”SEAI is already contributing real benefits to Ireland now with action centred on energy savings, emissions reductions, and importantly, jobs. We look forward to working with all parts of society to deliver on the goals and actions set out in this strategy.”

Today also sees a name change for the Authority. Formerly known as Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), the Authority has reverted to its formal legal name, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), given to it in its establishing legislation in 2002.

Ends

About SEAI:

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has a mission to play a leading role in transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices. The Authority is financed by Ireland’s EU Structural Funds Programme co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union.

Please click here to download a copy of this press release in PDF format.

Please click here to download a copy of the SEAI Strategic Plan 2010 – 2015 in PDF format.

21 Feb, 2010 By Mary
World First for UCC as Students Raise Green Flag

University College Cork (UCC) today(February 19th, 2010) became the first 3rd level educational institution in the world to be accredited with the prestigious international ‘Green Flag’ award. The award, presented by Minister John Gormley, on behalf of An Taisce, to UCC President Dr Michael Murphy, is a direct result of the Green-Campus programme, a student-led initiative undertaken by UCC students and staff over the last 3 years.

The Green-Campus programme, operated in Ireland by An Taisce, has seen the University save €300,000 in waste management costs, reduce waste to landfill by nearly 400 tonnes and improve recycling from 21% to 60%. Furthermore, UCC has conserved almost enough water this year to fill the equivalent of the Lough of Cork.

The first step was for the students to establish a Green-Campus Committee, in conjunction with the Buildings & Estates Department and academic staff. An environmental review followed. “There were absolutely no recycling facilities for students walking on the campus”, recalls Maria Kirrane, a student representative on the committee. “In fact, our very first action was to put on overalls and literally dive into the skips to see exactly what types of waste were being disposed of!”

In addition to staff recycling systems that previously existed, new recycling facilities for students are now available in front of the lecture halls, and in the canteens, where the staff is trained in minimising waste. Students in lecture theatres and laboratories are alerted to turn off lights and electrical equipment. College maintenance vehicles are now running on biodiesel. Carpooling has been introduced to facilitate lifts to and from campus. Enhanced Park & Ride and bike parking areas are designed to encourage more sustainable travel. Each year the Students Union holds a Green Awareness Week on campus, where real actions are supplemented by academic talks on environmental sustainability.

“It is quite a leap, transforming the Green-Schools programme, geared for the typical school of a few hundred students, to a complex campus of 130 acres, 16,000 students and almost 3,000 staff,” explained Dr Michael John O’Mahony of An Taisce. “In population terms UCC is bigger than your average Irish town, so bringing together all the necessary parties and practices to develop it into a sustainable Green-Campus was a real challenge.”

UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy said it is a source of great pride to the university, its staff and its students, that UCC has become the first third level institution in the world to be awarded the designation. “It is a wonderful achievement to have innovative thinkers among the staff and students in UCC all working towards the same objective.

“It was these students, who had been part of the Green Flag programme at secondary school level, who believed from the outset that the concept could be transferred successfully to an institution of UCC’s size and that by raising awareness throughout the university, we could, together, make a real difference.”

Mark Poland, Director of Building and Estates, added: “This initiative has provided a great forum for environmentally-conscious members of staff and students to assist in how we tackle our environmental responsibilities as a university community.”

An Taisce, on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), granted the international accreditation after a rigorous assessment by an expert panel. UCC is now looking to build on the award. “We’d like to make it easier for students to cycle to college, possibly through a bike purchase scheme”, says Maria Kirrane. “Also, while UCC is a beautiful campus, many of the plants here are non-native. We’re looking to address biodiversity on campus.” In addition a programme to convert the college food waste into compost has commenced.

“There is a wide of range of environmental management programmes that a third level college could undertake. However, the Green Campus programme is unique because it is student-led and they are the key decision makers,” says Jan Eriksen, President of FEE. A number of other 3rd level institutions in Ireland will be applying for a Green-Flag shortly.

“This is about more than making a campus green”, continues Michael John. “Over the past 14 years, hundreds of thousands of students in Ireland have been brought up with Green-Schools, sometimes starting at pre-school, through primary schools and then second level. It is critical that the chain not be broken once they complete the Leaving Cert. It needs to continue into 3rd level, and from there into their professional as well as their personal lives so that they become life-long educators and ambassadors of sustainable living.”

Source:UCC Media and Communications – http://www.ucc.ie/en/mandc/news/fullstory,95898,en.html

19 Feb, 2010 By Mary
Sustainable Development Model predicts potential environmental impact of future economic activity – EPA Press Release

Date released: Feb 18 2010, 12:05 PM

New research, published today by the EPA, shows how economic forecasts can be used to project waste generation and emissions of pollutants across Ireland.  The ISus (Irish Sustainable Development) Model is based on the work of a three-year study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), funded under the EPA STRIVE research programme.

Speaking about the findings of the research, Dr. Mary Kelly, Director General, EPA said:

“This model, developed by the ESRI, is very welcome. We are all aware of the use of GDP and other statistics to measure economic change. These, however, leave many things unmeasured, including the environment.
The ISus model provides a link between economic forecasting and potential environmental impacts.  This enables us to use the expertise of the ESRI, in relation to economic data, and link this with the environmental data produced by the EPA. The results will aid policy and decision makers to diagnose environmental problems, identify pressure points, target policy interventions and assess their success.
For example, projections on the generation of biodegradable waste – how much and where – could be a very useful tool for planning the location and required capacity for waste management infrastructure in the future.”

 

 ISus covers more than 25 potential pollutants (to air, water and waste) emanating from 20 economic sectors.

Some of the findings from the research:

  • In relation to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: Ireland faces a significant challenge in meeting its target for 2020.
  • In relation to waste generation: projections from the model suggest that Ireland will also have great difficulty meeting EU limits on landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste.
  • In relation to carbon tax: it illustrates the spatial distribution of households likely to pay the highest tax, with those in the commuter belts likely to pay most.
    The data show that in the period 1990 – 2006, while the economy was growing strongly, some emissions (sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds) have fallen, while others (carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion, dioxins)  have increased.  ISus is able to attribute these changes to economic growth, structural changes in the economy and technological and behavioural change.

 

“The EPA is very happy to be working in collaboration with ESRI on this project and hopes to be able to reap the benefits of the work in producing forecasts and projections for environmental impacts based on different scenarios in the future”said Dr Kelly.

 The report Ireland’s Sustainable Development Model  is available on the EPA website.

The findings from this research are being presented today at a seminar on Environmental Projections and Policy for Ireland in the Economic and Social Research Institute.

Editor’s Notes:
This work was funded through the EPA’s Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment Programme (STRIVE). The programme employs a strategic and targeted approach to protecting and improving the natural environment through the provision and accumulation of scientific research and knowledge. Funding for the EPA STRIVE Programme is provided through the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the programme is administered by the EPA on their behalf.

http://epa.ie/news/pr/2010/name,27794,en.html

19 Feb, 2010 By Mary
Carbon tax to hit commuter belt the hardest – Irish Independant
COMMUTERS will bear the brunt of the carbon tax and are likely to be hit with annual bills more than 10 times higher than those paid by people living in cities.

A new analysis from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that the annual carbon tax likely to be paid by someone living in inner-city Dublin will be €25 — but people living in the countryside could face bills of up to €275.

This is because many living outside the major cities are forced to drive to work because there is little or no public transport available. The report also found that rural houses tend to be bigger, and cost more to heat and that in cities, apartments share heat as it travels through a building.

carbon tax

The analysis published yesterday shows that the carbon tax, a key Green Party demand in its negotiations to enter Government, will not affect most of the party’s constituents.

The party has five TDs, with four based in Dublin.

Last December the first tranche of the tax was introduced in the Budget which saw motorists hit with a hike in fuel prices as petrol rose by 4 cent per litre and diesel by 5c.

Further pain is expected in May when the tax is applied to oil and gas for home heating, and the tax will also extend to the use of coal and peat.

The move is designed to discourage use of fossil fuels and to force behavioural changes where people would use public transport instead of the private car, and heat their homes using more energy-efficient heating systems such as wood-pellet stoves.

If successful, it would reduce the State’s dependency on imported fossil fuels and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions — the primary cause of global warming.

Co-author of the EPA/ESRI Strive report, Richard Tol, said that commuting was the dominant reason why people living outside the cities would pay more, although house size and income also played a role.

“Transport, and the car commute, is the major factor,” he said. “Rural houses tend to be bigger, and cost more to heat.

“Also, people living in the country tend to be richer and have more gadgets which need to be powered.”

Phased

The report says that the tax rate would vary from €25 per household per year in the inner city to €275 in parts of the commuter belt. But “most” households would pay between €135 and €235 per year in carbon taxes. The tax is being introduced on a phased basis, with 4c already added to the cost of a litre of petrol.

The tax is due to be extended to home heating fuels on May 1 next and solid fuels, coal and peat will be taxed from September.

It was signalled in the Budget that the carbon tax would add an extra €43 to the cost of filling a 1,000-litre oil tank and it would add €41 to the average annual gas bill.

However, the final tax levels have yet to be set.

The delay is because of concerns about lower-quality fuels, which are exempt from the new levy, being imported from Northern Ireland.

– Paul Melia

Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/carbon-tax-to-hit-commuter-belt-the-hardest-2070446.html

14 Dec, 2009 By Mary
Setting a green evolution in motion – featured in the Sunday Business Post

Setting a green evolution in motion

Frank Gethings believes that redundancy can be looked at in two ways: either a gloomy end to a job or an opportunity to do something you have a passion about.

Gethings had been working for Maxtor, a multinational firm based in Bray, for about six years when it was acquired b y rival Seagate.

The change of ownership led to the closure of Maxtor, and Gethings was among more than 100 people who lost their jobs just before Christmas 2006.

‘‘Starting my own business had always been one of my goals, so I looked on the redundancy as an opportunity, as opposed to something negative,” said Gethings. ‘‘We received a good redundancy package from Maxtor, so I seized the moment: a case of now or never.”

Equipped with ‘‘the right attitude’’ and a keen interest in renewable energy, Gethings set about establishing Eco Evolution.

His firm specialises in all aspects of renewable energy – from consultancy to the design, supply and installation of wind turbines, solar heaters and even small-scale hydroelectricity generation systems.

‘‘The renewable energy industry in Ireland is only in its infancy and has tremendous potential for significant growth and high-calibre job creation,” said Gethings.

‘‘I think Ireland has the potential to be a world leader in this industry, but it will take real political leadership and proper support mechanisms to get it off the ground.”

A native of Ferns, Co Wexford, Gethings graduated in electronic engineering at Dublin City University in 1989.He worked for Kimble, a Dundalk based manufacturing firm, for six years, followed by a three-year stint with MKIR Panasonic.

When he went to work for Maxtor in 2000, he was able to move back home to Ferns, where Eco Evolution is now based. ‘‘I started working on setting up the company in 2006 when I was made aware of the impending redundancy,” he said. ‘‘This included carrying out intensive research and compiling a business plan, training and cherry-picking products.”

Gethings also did courses in sustainable energy, wind turbine and solar photovoltaic installation, and a wind energy module as part of a Masters in renewable energy systems.

Eco Evolution started trading in 2008, with funding from the Wexford County Enterprise Board. The firm is the official reseller for several international renewable energy products, and its customers are mainly in the residential and agricultural sectors. However, Gethings said that a number of commercial projects were also in the pipeline as businesses looked at ways to cut costs and become more environmentallyfriendly.

‘‘This is probably the only industry which can rise up out of the doldrums and lead this country into an era of prosperity once again,” said Gethings.

‘‘To support this energy revolution, our leaders must also rise up and take real responsibility for what needs to be done.”

 

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