Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: Dublin Bay

HOWTH YACHT CLUB. WEDNESDAY SERIES 3 (RACE) 28/07/2010 Class 1 IRC: 1, Makutu Doyle/Others; 2, Tantrum 3 Klimche/O'Leary; Class 1 HPH: 1, Makutu Doyle/Others; 2, Tantrum 3 Klimche/O'Leary; Class 2 IRC: 1, Dux A Gore-Grimes; 2, Superhero Burne/Banahan; 3, Toughnut D Skehan; Class 2 HPH: 1, Toughnut D Skehan; 2, Indigo Eadie/Ritchie; 3, Superhero Burne/Banahan; Class 3 IRC: 1, Alliance V Gaffney; 2, Starlet Bourke/Others; 3, Gecko K Darmody; Class 3 HPH: 1, Helly Hunter L McMurtry; 2, Rossinver C Scott; 3, Rock Lobster Delaney/Archer; White Sails HPH: 1, Savarna Burke/Curtis; 2, Sandpiper of Howth A Knowles; 3, Fanatix R Fanning; White Sails IRC: 1, Alphida H Byrne; 2, Bite the Bullet C Bermingham; 3, Force Five R & J McAllister

Published in Howth YC
Tagged under
Visitors to RNLI at Dun Laoghaire will be able to view the new inshore lifeboat (ILB) that recently arrived when the station holds its annual open day on Saturday 31st July 2010 (11am to 5pm).

For the first time, the recently-formed Sea Safety team will also be on hand to offer advice to visitors on how best to prepare for trips afloat and boating activities.

Equipment demonstrations and model boat displays will also be part of the attractions including the station's All-Weather lifeboat (ALB). Crew-members, who operate on a fully-voluntary basis will be demonstrating various items of rescue equipment and the ALB " Anna Livia" will be alongside offering close-up views of this €2 million rescue craft.

There are two lifeboats at Dun Laoghaire, a Trent class ALB and a D-Class ILB (Inshore lifeboat) of the new IB1-type that was recently delivered to the 207-year old station and is based in the nearby historic boathouse at the East Pier.  This lifeboat, named 'Realt Na Mara' , was funded by the genorisity of a family in Dublin. The station's shop selling souvenirs and other lifeboat-related items will also be open, helping to raise funds for the voluntary service.

The Sea Safety team, part of the RNLI's stated aim of improving safety at sea through education and information can also take bookings for the free 'Sea Check' service that assists boat-owners. The Dun Laoghaire RNLI station is one of 43 based in the Ireland division that operate 55 lifeboats that launched on 976 occasions and rescued 1,008 people in 2009.

Dun Laoghaire is regularly amongst the busiest and last year launched on 68 occasions and rescued 92 people. For more information, please visit http://www.dunlaoghaire-lifeboat.ie

Published in RNLI Lifeboats

Tim Goodbody of the Royal Irish Yacht Club took a gun at day two of the OK Dinghy European Championships in Medemblik, Netherlands. The weather produced a late finish after a complete change in conditions with very unstable offwind winds mixing up the results, with most of the leading contenders picking up a high score.

Race three got underway at 13.30 in about five knots after an earlier attempt was postponed and the fleet sent ashore to wait for the wind to build. At the start much of the fleet immediately had to tack onto port as no one could cross on starboard and this was a hint of things to come.

Most of the favourites headed to the left hand side towards a big black cloud but after one third of the beat, a 60 degree shift to the right gave the other half of the fleet a massive lead over the left side. The regatta leaders Terry Curtis, Tim Goodbody and Antoni Pawlawski were all on the left and paid a heavy price for this.

Race winner Thomas Glas said, "I started in the middle of the line and then there was a big right shift. Andreas Pich (GER) led round the top mark followed by Christian Hedlund (DEN), Jurgen Illers (GER) and myself.On the last beat Christian and Andreas went to the right and were fighting together so I went left of the fleet and got a lift which took me into the lead and I won by about 50 metres." Glas rounded off an excellent day with a ninth to end the day in ninth overall

He added, "Today was really tricky sailing, especially with the big shifts in the first race."

The wind increased slightly for race four and still very shifty. The left side did pay this time with Neil Goodhead (GBR) and Martin Bower (GBR) leading round the top mark from the left corner and Alistair Deaves (NZL) in third from the right. Goodhead maintained his lead to the leeward mark and then Tim Goodbody (IRL) made his move, taking the lead at the top of the second beat from Bartosz Rakocy (POL) and Deaves with the wind now at 12-15 knots.

Goodbody extended down the run to lead to the finish. Rakocy sailed well to record another second place to the take the overall lead while Jorgen Lindhardtsen recovered from an average first beat in race four to finish third and move up to third overall. Pawel Pawlaczyk (POL) continued his consistency to end the day in second overall. Overnight leader Terry Curtis (GBR) posted a 33 and 27 in the shifty conditions to drop to 12th overall, while Goodbody also picked up a 23 in race three.

All apart from four out of the top 10 have posted high scores so far, so after Wednesday's two races, the discard should considerbly change the order at the top.

 

 

European Championship Results
NoSailnoNameScoresR1R2R3R4
1 POL 19 Bartosz Rakocy 18,0 2 10 4 2
2 POL 14 Pawel Pawlaczyk 22,0 7 2 7 6
3 DEN 1364 Jørgen Lindhardtsen 29,0 8 4 14 3
4 IRL 10 Tim Goodbody 31,0 6 1 23 1
5 NZL 522 Greg Wilcox 34,0 5 8 9 12
6 GER 693 Martin von Zimmermann 41,0 11 16 6 8
7 POL 31 Antoni Pawlowski 46,0 1 7 28 10
8 GER 747 Andreas Pich 46,0 9 22 2 13
9 GER 731 Thomas Glas 53,0 13 30 1 9
10 GER 717 Oliver Gronholz 60,0 10 25 21 4

 

Published in Racing

Irish Times reporter Laurence Mackin spent a day with the Howth Coast Guard, and discovers their vital, voluntary work can be distressing as well as rewarding. His feature piece is well worth a read and is published HERE.

Published in Coastguard
27th July 2010

Oona Wins in Howth

HOWTH YACHT CLUB.TUE + SAT SERIES 3 (RACE) 27/07/2010 17 FooterSCRATCH:1, Oona P Courtney;2, Rita Lynch/Curley;3, Sheila D Bothwell;17 FooterHCAP:1, Echo B & H Lynch;2, Sheila D Bothwell; 3, Rosemary Curley/JonesTUESDAY SERIES 3   PuppeteerSCRATCH:1, Mojo Stanley/Callen;2, Yellow Peril N Murphy;3, Papagena K Barker;Puppeteer HPH:1, Apollo M & D Patton;2, Mr. Punch NiBhraonain/Wilson;3, Arcturus C McAuliffe;SquibSCRATCH:1, Shadowfax P Merry;2, Arctic Fox G Barry;3, Chatterbox J Kay;SquibHPH:1, Shadowfax P Merry;2, Pegasus K T & K Smyth;3, Arctic Fox G Barry;EtchellsSCRATCH:1, Jabberwocky S Knowles;2, Fetching Quinn/O'Flaherty;3, Aja G Donnelly;SB3SCRATCH:1, Shockwave E Quinlan;2, Investwise D Quinn;3, Sin a Bhuifl Guinness/Costigan
Published in Howth YC
Tagged under
DUBLIN PORT Dublin Bay Sailing Club Results for 27 JULY 2010

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Something Else (J.Hall et al), 2. Jalapeno (Dermod Baker et al), 3. Powder Monkey (C.Moore/M.Byrne)

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Cor Baby (Keith Kiernan et al), 2. Red Rhum (J Nicholson)

CRUISERS 3 - 1. Chouskikou (R.Sheehan/R.Hickey), 2. Asterix (J.Counihan/F.Meredith), 3. Grasshopper 2 (K & J Glynn)

CRUISERS 4 - 1. Maranda (Myles Kelly), 2. Artemis (J.Giles), 3. Aslana (J.Martin/B.Mulkeen)

FIREBALL - 1. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 2. Good Thing (J.Dunne), 3. Blind Squirrel (Frank Miller)

GLEN - 1. Glenluce (D & R O'Connor), 2. Pterodactyl (R & D McCaffrey), 3. Glencorel (B.Waldock/K.Malcolm)

IDRA 14 FOOT - 1. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 2. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne), 3. Squalls (Stephen Harrison)

MERMAID - 1. Oonagh (J&M Griffith), 2. Kim (D Cassidy), 3. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan)

PY CLASS - 1. Evan Dolan (), 2. Peter Craig (Laser), 3. Ross O'Leary (Laser)

RUFFIAN 23 - 1. Diane ll (Bruce Carswell), 2. Alias (D.Meeke/M.McCarthy), 3. Icicle (C & J Murray)

SHIPMAN - 1. Whiterock (Henry Robinson), 2. Bluefin (B.Finucane et al)

SQUIB - 1. Tais (Michael O'Connell), 2. Periguin (N.Coakley/J.Redahan)

Published in DBSC

Former Olympic Finn sailor Tim Goodbody lies in second place after day one of the OK Dinghy Europeans in Medemblik. 67 sailors from 11 nations are taking part in the event. Two races were held in a solid force 3-4 with a few rain storms passing over providing some interesting wind shifts. With two third places, Terry Curtis (GBR) leads from Tim Goodbody (IRL) and Antoni Pawloski (POL)

In the first race, Pawel Pawlaczyk (POL) led round the top mark from Antoni Pawlowski (POL) and Alistair Deaves (NZL). On the final beat Pawlowski maintained his lead with Rakocy in second and Curtis climbing to third, with another Pole Marek Jarocki (POL) finding a big shift to place fourth just ahead of Deaves in fifth.

The wind increased for the second race with Dublin Bay newcomer Tim Goodbody leading from start to finish.

Racing continues until Friday 30 July.

Results after 2 races

1. Terry Curtis, GBR, 6
2. Tim Goodbody, IRL, 7
3. Antoni Pawlowski, POL, 8
4. Pawel Pawlaczyk, POL, 9
5. Bartosz Rakocy, POL, 12
6. Jorgen Lindhardtsen, DEN, 12
7. Greg Wilcox, NZL, 13
8. Rene Joahnnsen, DEN, 26
9. Robert Deaves, POL, 26
10. Bo Teglers, DEN, 27

Published in Racing
After successfully completing the open sea rowing race (the Celtic Challenge) in traditional wooden skiffs this year, the Dun Laoghaire club are now hosting their own long distance challenge for invited clubs. To make it happen the club is trying to get the entire Dun Laoghaire community involved. David Cullen of St. Michael's Rowing Club reports on 'The Hobbler's Challenge 2010'.

The Race

The race will take place from the back of the marina breakwater in Dun Laoghaire harbour at 2pm on the 21st August 2010. The start lines for the teams will be positioned just below the hobbler's memorial on the breakwater. The race distance is 25 miles. The previous event lasted over three hours. There will be food and music on the day as well as a prize giving ceremony at a well known venue in Dun Laoghaire.

The event will be the last in the east coast skiff racing calendar and is a test of endurance.

The Tradition

As per local tradition, all teams will row traditional east coast skiffs comprising four oarsmen and one coxswain in wooden clinker-built boats. Present day racing skiffs reflect their traditional origins, and are twenty-five foot long, clinker built double-enders.Between the 18th and 19th centuries the hobblers of Dublin Bay invented the original rowing race. The skiffs would leave Dún Laoghaire, Ringsend and other nearby harbours to meet ships arriving into Dublin as far away as the Kish bank. The first crew to the ship would win the business of pilotage and unloading.

The Club

Contact Details: David CullenTel: 0868826189Email: [email protected]

Click this link for Irish Rowing details

Click this link for the Latest Rowing News

Published in Rowing

Ireland took on the world at the weekend in the inaugural Ireland v. The World Match Racing Challenge, but it was the global alliance that came out on top in the end, with 36 wins over Ireland's 29.

Light winds kept the race count down from the anticipated 90-odd, but good conditions on Sunday meant the 66-race Round Robin was completed in Scotsman's bay.

The overall team trophy was in balance until the final few flights, but the World team did enough to edge out the Irish Challenge.

Romain Baggio and his Bordeaux Racing team sailed an impeccable series, only losing one race to Keith Swinton of Australia to take the Individual win.

The event was an experiment in many ways, with proceedings blogged flight-by-flight  as they happened by on-the-water reporters. The records of the entire event can be found online at matchracing.ie/challenge, and you can replay the flights on the online GPS tracker HERE.

Live, on-the-water commentary was broadcast over channel 77 from Olympic commentator Jimmy Fitzpatrick and Olympian Ger Owens, and innovative spectator packages allowed spectators fire the gun to start racing and even sit in an on-board hotseat during racing.

Final Skipper results after 12 races each are:

Baggio (FRA) 11 wins(91%)

Nicholas (AUS) 10 wins(82%)

Cornah (GBR) 7 wins (64%)

Swinton (AUS) 8 WIns (73%) minus 1 point penalty

Elmes (IRL) 6 Wins (55%)

Sheehy (IRL) 6 Wins (55%)

O'Connell (IRL) 5 wins (45%)

Hunt (IRL) 4 wins (36%)

Fowler (IRL) 4 wins (36%)

Duncan (NZL) 3 wins (30%)

O'Leary (IRL) 3 wins (30%)

Huckstadt (GER) 0 wins (0%)

Published in Match Racing
Tagged under

DUBLIN PORT Dublin Bay Sailing Club Results for 24 JULY 2010  BENETEAU 31.7 Echo- 1. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 2. Extremity (Paul D'Alton), 3. Levante (B.Leyden/M.Leahy)  BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Prospect (Chris Johnston), 2. Magic (D.O'Sullivan/D.Espey), 3. Levante (B.Leyden/M.Leahy)                                          

 

CRUISERS 0 Echo - 1. Lively Lady (Derek Martin), 2. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell), 3. WOW (George Sisk)                                                        

 

CRUISERS 0 - 1. Tsunami (Vincent Farrell), 2. WOW (George Sisk), 3. Lively Lady (Derek Martin)                                                        

 

CRUISERS 1 Echo - 1. Jetstream (Peter Redden), 2. Adrenalin (Joe McDonald), 3. Indecision (Declan Hayes et al)                                             

 

CRUISERS 1 - 1. Xtravagance (Colin Byrne), 2. Jetstream (Peter Redden), 3. Adrenalin (Joe McDonald)                                                   

 

CRUISERS 2 Echo - 1. Bendemeer (Gerald Kinsella), 2. Jester (Declan Curtin), 3. Peridot (Jim McCann et al)                                                 

 

CRUISERS 2 - 1. Jawesome 11 (V.Kennedy/M.Dyke), 2. Bendemeer (Gerald Kinsella), 3. Peridot (Jim McCann et al)                                         

 

CRUISERS 3 Echo - 1. Supernova (K.Lawless et al), 2. Saki (Paget McCormack et al), 3. Jammie Dodger (J.H & D.O'Neill)                                      

 

CRUISERS 3 - 1. Supernova (K.Lawless et al), 2. Asterix (J.Counihan/F.Meredith), 3. Jammie Dodger (J.H & D.O'Neill)                                   

 

CRUISERS 4 - 1. Rascal (K.Burke/S.Milner), 2. Maranda (Myles Kelly), 3. Ghrazel (Charles Pearson)                                                     

 

FIREBALL - 1. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 2. Goodness Gracious (Louise McKenna), 3. Thrills and Spills (Brenda McGuire)                          

 

FIREBALL - 1. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 2. Goodness Gracious (Louise McKenna), 3. Thrills and Spills (Brenda McGuire)                          

 

FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. Hy5ive (D & S Gorman), 2. Rollercoaster (Tom Murphy), 3. Kooigjug (K Dumpleton)                                                   

 

FLYING FIFTEEN - 1. Kooigjug (K Dumpleton), 2. Rollercoaster (Tom Murphy), 3. Deranged (C.Doorly)                                                     

 

GLEN - 1. Glendun (B.Denham et al), 2. Glenluce (D & R O'Connor), 3. Pterodactyl (R & D McCaffrey)                                                    

 

IDRA 14 FOOT Race 2- 1. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton), 2. Sapphire (Lorcan O'Sullivan), 3. Doody (J.Fitzgerald/J.Byrne)                                        

 

IDRA 14 FOOT Race 1- 1. Squalls (Stephen Harrison), 2. Sapphire (Lorcan O'Sullivan), 3. Dunmoanin (Frank Hamilton)                                          

 

MERMAID Race 1- 1. Tiller Girl (J.O'Rourke), 2. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan), 3. Oonagh (J&M Griffith)                                                       

 

MERMAID Race 2- 1. Tiller Girl (J.O'Rourke), 2. Oonagh (J&M Griffith), 3. Aideen (B.Martin/D.Brennan)                                                       

 

PY CLASS Race 2- 1. Brendan McConville (Wayfarer), 2. Stuart McBride (Laser Vago)                                                                           

 

PY CLASS Race 1- 1. Brendan McConville (Wayfarer), 2. Stuart McBride (Laser Vago)                                                                           

 

SHIPMAN - 1. Curraglas (John Masterson), 2. Whiterock (Henry Robinson), 3. Macro One (Joseph Murray)                                                  

 

SIGMA 33 - 1. White Mischief (Timothy Goodbody), 2. Rupert (R.Lovegrove/P.Varian), 3. Springer (I.Bowring)                                            

 

SQUIB Race 2- 1. Anemos (Pete & Ann Evans), 2. Ladybird (M.Muldoon/B.Stevens), 3. Lola (Frank Whelan)                                                       

 

SQUIB Race 1- 1. Nimble (Brian O'Hare), 2. Why Not (Derek & Jean Jago), 3. Ladybird (M.Muldoon/B.Stevens)                                                   

 

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS Echo - 1. Finnegans Wake (T.Rowlands et al), 2. Xerxes (Dan O'Neill), 3. Arwen (Philip O'Dwyer)                                        

 

WHITE SAIL CRUISERS - 1. Xerxes (Dan O'Neill), 2. Arwen (Philip O'Dwyer), 3. Calypso (Howard Knott)                                                   

 


Published in DBSC
Page 97 of 102

Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

©Afloat 2020