The five biggest engineering innovations of 2017…so farJuly 18, 2017
We have crossed the halfway point of 2017 and engineers have been hard at work innovating the technologies of tomorrow. Here are the biggest engineering...
Wind power after 2020 – beyond the conventional electricity perspectiveJune 20, 2017
Dr David Connolly says we must look beyond the conventional ‘electricity sector’ and instead look at the complete ‘energy system’ to identify so...
IWEA chief claims Ireland will miss EU renewables target and faces €600m fineMay 23, 2017
Ireland has fallen behind on its 2020 renewable-energy targets, with a significant lack of progress in electrification of heat and transport, Dr Gary He...
Exascale turbines with enormous blades could lead to more offshore energyMay 22, 2017
A new design for gigantic wind turbines, with blades longer than two football fields, could help to bring offshore 50-megawatt exascale turbines to the...
E.ON develops a demonstration site for airborne wind technology in IrelandApril 12, 2017
The site in Mayo is being developed in a partnership with Ampyx Power, a leading company in the airborne wind energy sector...
New insights into wind-energy fluctuations, with implications for engineering and policyApril 11, 2017
Using data from 224 Irish wind farms, Prof Mahesh Bandi’s research reveals there is a limit to how much one can average fluctuations in wind power –...
Wind generation re-imagined – the rise of small, duct-augmented turbinesJanuary 17, 2017
The Airsynergy wind turbine at Tayto Park comprises a multi-bladed augmenter that concentrates and amplifies any air it attracts from the inside out, in...
Ireland’s all-time record for wind generated electricity brokenJanuary 17, 2017
The all-time record for wind-generation was broken on January 11, with well over half of all electricity generated coming from renewable sources
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Dutch electric trains now 100% powered by wind energyJanuary 12, 2017
All Dutch electric trains are now powered by wind energy, one year ahead of schedule, according to NS, the national railway company...
Solar energy could provide a bright future for Ireland’s 2020 targetsDecember 13, 2016
The solar industry in Ireland is calling on the Government to commit financial support to solar projects to ensure we avoid fines in the region of €30...
Floating wind turbine undergoes extreme testing at national ocean test facilityDecember 2, 2016
More than 50 leading experts in offshore wind energy from across Europe were in Cork to discuss the findings of the €10 million LEANWIND project exami...
Irish transmission system: balancing simulation and applied maths in power system analysisOctober 18, 2016
Ireland’s transmission system is as dynamic as a large, complex system, but small enough to be mathematically tractable. Prof Federico Milano outline...
SEAI renewable-energy resource system supports sustainable schemes in IrelandAugust 9, 2016
Mary Holland writes that SEAI's wind atlas provides information on wind speeds and wind-farm sites; geothermal maps show subsurface temperatures and g...
Indigenous wind energy saved Ireland €70m in energy imports since JanuaryJuly 26, 2016
Over a fifth of Ireland’s electricity has come from wind energy so far this year....
Electrochemical water splitting: a new dawn for the hydrogen economyJuly 12, 2016
In a major clean-energy breakthrough, Trinity researchers have developed a material that enhances water splitting at a very low-energy cost using earth...
Is doubling on-shore wind the right approach?June 14, 2016
Ireland’s strategy to double the onshore wind sector by 2020 is not without risk and neither is it the lowest-cost option, writes Dr Anthony White. Wo...
Sensor technology speeds up offshore turbine inspectionsMay 31, 2016
Offshore wind-turbine foundations take a lot of punishment. A new sensor ring makes these checks easier to perform for the divers who descend to inspect...
Green light for Gaelectric in Northern IrelandMay 26, 2016
Irish developer Gaelectric gets go-ahead for photovoltaic project next to Inishative wind farm in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...
Eight turbines installed at 95MW Energia wind farm in DonegalMay 26, 2016
The first eight turbines at Energia’s 95MW Meenadreen wind farm in Ireland’s north west have been installed...
Bord na Móna – moving to a low-carbon futureApril 19, 2016
Dr John Reilly outlines Bord na Móna’s plan...