Electric.ie July/ August 2020

ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 51 T 041 983 5611 T 01 842 6255 E sales@elemex.ie elemex.ie Sanbra Fyffe Ltd , Instantor Works, Santry Avenue, Dublin D09 K160 Dual or single element immersions available in a variety of materials to suit different levels of water hardness. IRELANDS LEADING IMMERSION HEATERS Elemex - Half Page Ad - Jun19.indd 1 20/06/2019 12:25 Industry News ESB and Irish-owned Harmony Solar partnership project to power over 10 percent of Irish homes E SB and the Irish-owned renewable energy company, Harmony Solar, recently announced that they have entered into a multi-million Euro partnership to develop ground-mounted solar projects in Ireland. Phase one will develop Harmony Solar’s existing 300MW portfolio primarily in Wexford and Kildare, with further phases on track to develop a total portfolio of over 1,000MW of large-scale solar projects. The development pipeline of the partnership will see an initial capital investment of €30 million, with further investment in the medium to long term as the pipeline comes to fruition. Solar energy is a key part of ESB’s Brighter Future strategy which seeks to shift electricity generation away from fossil fuels by developing renewable projects of scale, and in doing so, lead the transition to a low carbon energy future based on clean, reliable and affordable electricity. This partnership has the potential to provide renewable electricity for approximately 230,000 homes – over ten percent of Ireland’s households. Currently in Ireland, renewable energy is predominately generated from onshore wind. This partnership is in line with the Irish government’s policy to introduce more diversity into the country’s renewable energy portfolio, through the promotion of other technologies including solar. The agreement will enhance Ireland’s ability to reach future renewable energy targets and contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 360,000 tonnes per year when the development pipeline is fully operational. The full portfolio would produce up to one million MWh per year. Latest CRU figures indicate Irish average household consumption is 4,200kWh per year.