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| | 56th ERNE HEAD OF THE RIVER |
| | Saturday 2nd March 2013 |
| | Timed |
| | Finishing Crew Mins:Secs |
| | Position No. Crew Identity Class Rowing Time |
| | 1 1 GM/NUIG/St.JoesMS 8 19:30 |
| | 2 3 U.C.D. BC MS 8 19:33 |
| | 3 2 QUBBC MS 8 19:49 |
| | 4 4 DUBC MS 8 19:52 |
| | 5 8 DUBC MI 8 20:08 |
| | 5 = 9 U.C.D. BC A MI 8 20:08 |
| | 7 6 NUIG BC MI 8 20:09 |
| | 8 5 St Michaels RC MS 8 20:30 |
| | 9 13 Neptune RC MJ18 8 20:55 |
| | 10 12 UCD BC B MI 8 21:03 |
| | 11 20 U.C.D. BC A MN 8 21:10 |
| | 12 25 DUBC B MN 8 21:11 |
| | 12 = 14 Portora BC MJ18 8 21:11 |
| | 14 19 QUBBC A MN 8 21:23 |
| | 15 21 NUIG BC MN 8 21:37 |
| | 16 10 St Michaels RC MI 8 21:46 |
| | 17 15 MCB BC MJ18 8 22:09 |
| | 18 30 Garda BC MI 4x 22:11 |
| | 19 18 DUBC A MN 8 22:17 |
| | 19 = 22 Portora/BBC/CAIBC MS 4x 22:17 |
| | 21 33 Bann RC MJ16 8 22:18 |
| | 22 24 U.C.D.L B.C A WS 8 22:24 |
| | 23 16 RBAI BC MJ18 8 22:26 |
| | 24 11 CAIBC MI 8 22:35 |
| | 25 27 QUBBC B MN 8 22:36 |
| | 26 35 MCB BC MJ16 8 22:47 |
| | 27 40 Portora BC MI 4+ 22:57 |
| | 28 23 LSC MS 4x 23:06 |
| | 29 28 DUBC C MN 8 23:08 |
| | 30 17 Blackrock BC MJ18 8 23:19 |
| | 31 41 BBC MM 8 E 23:22 |
| | 32 32 Portora BC MJ16 8 23:36 |
| | 33 42 BRC A MM 8 C 23:38 |
| | 34 43 BRC/BBC B MM 8 E 23:39 |
| | 35 29 U.C.D. BC MI 4x 23:41 |
| | 36 47 Bann RC WI 8 23:44 |
| | 37 45 QULBC WI 8 23:51 |
| | 38 31 U.C.D.L.B.C B WS 8 23:58 |
| | 39 34 CAIBC MJ16 8 24:08 |
| | 40 63 CAIBC MJ18 4+ 24:09 |
| | 41 38 BBC MS 4+ 24:10 |
| | 42 48 Portora BC WJ18 8 24:13 |
| | 43 50 Bann RC MM 8 C 24:31 |
| | 44 49 LVBC MM 8 E 24:42 |
| | 45 44 OCBC/TCBC MM 8 F 24:47 |
| | 46 60 St Michaels BC WS 4+ 24:52 |
| | 47 53 QULBC A WN 8 25:11 |
| | 48 57 BBC WM 8 D 25:13 |
| | 49 59 Portora BC WS 4x 25:19 |
| | 50 62 Bann RC MJ18 4+ 25:42 |
| | 51 52 Molesey B C MM 8 G 25:56 |
| | 52 37 MCB BC B MJ16 8 26:14 |
| | 53 54 BRC WN 8 26:33 |
| | 54 55 QULBC B WN 8 26:48 |
| | 55 58 Neptune BC WS 4x 27:04 |
| | 56 51 Portadown BC MM 8 D 27:09 |
| | 57 66 Portora BC A WJ16 8 27:16 |
| | 58 36 Portora BC B MJ16 8 27:22 |
| | 59 61 BRC WS 4+ 27:29 |
| | 60 65 CAIBC MJ16 4x 27:53 |
| | 61 67 Portora BC B WJ16 8 28:52 |
| | 62 56 QULBC C WN8 29:55 |
| | 63 = 7 QUBBC MI 8 Did Not Row |
| | 63 = 26 U.C.D BC B MN 8 Did Not Row |
| | 63 = 39 DUBC MI 4+ Did Not Row |
| | 63 = 46 NUIG BC WI 8 Did Not Row |
| | 63 = 64 Blackrock BC MJ18 4x Did Not Row |
| | The positions given are those relative to all crews participating. |
| | Positions within a Class are to be determined by inspection. |
|
# ROWING: Adam Boreham of Belfast Boat Club, a heavyweight under-23 athlete, topped the rankings in ergometer (rowing machine) times on the first day of the Rowing Ireland Assessment in Newry today. Justin Ryan of Skibbereen was the fastest lightweight, with a time of six minutes 14 seconds, seven seconds slower than Boreham for the 2,000 metres. Gareth McKillen of RBAI topped a very competitive junior grade, clocking a remarkable six minutes 22 seconds.
The fastest woman was Sanita Puspure, clocking 6:40.5, and junior athlete Bridget Jacques clocked 7:04.4. The fastest lightweight was under-23 athlete Denise Walsh. Claire Lambe and Siobhan McCrohan were exempted on sick notes.
Tomorrow’s time trial on Newry Canal, scheduled for 11 o’clock, has been brought forward at least a half an hour because of concerns about the weather.
Rowing Ireland |
Newry Assessment |
2K Erg Test Results - 9th February 2013 - OVERALL |
Category Time |
Adam Boreham HM U23 06:07.0 |
David Neale HM 06:09.5 |
Matthew Wray HM U23 06:10.7 |
Jonathon Mitchell HM U23 06:11.9 |
Justin Ryan LM 06:14.0 |
Fionnan McQuillan-Tolan HM U23 06:15.2 |
Sean O Connor HM U23 06:18.1 |
Colm Keenan HM 06:18.4 |
Niall Kenny LM 06:18.4 |
Gareth McKillen JM 06:22.0 |
Paul O'Donovan LM U23 06:22.8 |
Paddy Hegarty JM 06:23.5 |
Andy Harrington JM 06:24.6 |
Jack Casey JM 06:24.9 |
Gary O'Donovan LM U23 06:25.0 |
Shane O'Driscoll LM U23 06:25.1 |
Alan Prendergast LM U23 06:33.1 |
Aodhan Burns LM U23 06:34.1 |
Eoghan Whittle JM 16 06:34.8 |
Aidan Kinneen JM 06:35.9 |
James Egan JM 06:35.9 |
Jack Silke JM 06:37.5 |
Conor Camody JM 06:37.9 |
Kai McGlacken JM 16 06:38.2 |
Andrew Bell LM U23 06:38.8 |
David O Malley JM 06:38.9 |
Brian Keohane JM 06:39.2 |
Sam Keogh JM 06:39.3 |
William Yeomans JM 06:39.7 |
Sanita Puspure HW 06:40.5 |
Daniel Buckley JM 06:41.1 |
James Blackwell JM 06:41.8 |
Philip McCullough JM 06:42.5 |
Rory O Sullivan JM 06:42.9 |
Matthew Ryan JM 06:43.6 |
Karl Anderson JM 06:43.6 |
Eoghan Fogarty JM 06:44.9 |
John Mitchel JM 06:46.8 |
David Keohane JM 06:47.4 |
Aidan Murray JM 16 06:48.0 |
Neil McCarthy JM 06:48.2 |
Evan Stone JM 06:48.4 |
Kevin Keohane JM 06:49.0 |
Kevin Fallon JM 06:49.3 |
Evan Despard JM 06:49.3 |
Ewan Murry JM 06:49.4 |
Charlie Murray JM 06:49.5 |
Ger McNamera JM 06:49.5 |
Christopher Laffey JM 06:50.0 |
Jack Smyth JM 06:51.7 |
Patrick Munnelly JM 16 06:52.4 |
Thomas Cregan JM 16 06:54.8 |
Eoghan O'Connor LM U23 06:55.3 |
Mark Breen JM 06:56.4 |
Ewan Gallagher JM 16 06:57.2 |
Monika Dukarska HW 06:57.8 |
Kevin Hogan JM 16 06:57.8 |
Alex Chadfield JM 06:59.3 |
Nathan O Reilly LM U23 07:00.3 |
Mike O'Hanlon JM 16 07:02.1 |
Andrew GOFF JM 16 07:02.8 |
Colin Finnrty JM 16 07:03.3 |
Eoghan Walls JM 16 07:03.8 |
Bridget Jacques JW 07:04.4 |
Hilary Shinnick JW 07:05.6 |
Stephen Murphy JM 07:07.6 |
Erin Barry JW 16 07:10.8 |
Jasmin English JW 07:15.5 |
Clodagh Scannell JW 07:26.8 |
Denise Walsh LW U23 07:26.9 |
Fiona Murtagh JW 07:27.3 |
Hannah McCarthy JW 07:30.1 |
Phoebe Mulligan JW 07:30.7 |
Leonie Hamel JW 07:31.9 |
Claire Beechinor JW 16 07:32.1 |
Sinead Dolan LW U23 07:33.6 |
Sarah Dolan LW 07:33.8 |
Amy Bulman LW 07:34.3 |
Zoe Hyde JW 16 07:34.4 |
Megan Blackburne JW 07:34.8 |
Eimear Lambe JW 16 07:36.4 |
Ruth Gilligan JW 07:40.5 |
Daisy Callanan JW 07:40.9 |
Elizabeth Clarke JW 16 07:41.8 |
Kara O Connor JW 16 07:41.9 |
Aisling Rodger JW 07:42.2 |
Kirstie Turner JW 07:43.8 |
Lauren McHugh JW 07:44.2 |
Sally O Brien LW U20 07:47.0 |
Megan McLaughlin JW 07:47.1 |
Sarah Murphy JW 16 07:54.0 |
# ROWING: One hundred and twenty rowers are listed to compete at the Rowing Ireland Assessment in Newry tomorrow and Sunday. The ergometer test will be on Saturday and the on-the-water time trial is set for 11 o’clock on Newry Canal on Sunday.
This will be the first assessment since Morten Espersen has taken over as High Performance Director.
Rowing Ireland 2000m Ergo Assessment |
Newry, February 9th 2013 |
HP Team |
07/02/2013 |
Row Labels Testing Time Ergo Number |
Athlone BC |
munnelly, patrick 13:20 6 |
Athlunkard BC |
Gallagher, Ewan 13:20 7 |
McNamara, Ger 13:20 8 |
Bann RC |
Barry, Erin 12:00 2 |
Wray, Matthew 13:20 1 |
Belfast BC |
Boreham, Adam 13:20 2 |
English, Jasmin 12:00 3 |
Jacques, Bridget 12:00 4 |
Mitchell, Johnathan 13:20 3 |
Taggart, Emily 12:00 9 |
Turner, Kirsty 12:00 1 |
CAIBC |
McCullough, Philip 13:20 5 |
Castleconnell Boat Club |
O'Connor, Eoghan 11:20 8 |
Whittle, Eoghan 11:20 9 |
CIT RC |
O'Donovan, Gary 12:40 9 |
O'Driscoll, Shane 12:20 11 |
Clonmel RC |
Chadfield, Alex 13:20 10 |
Channon, Stewart |
Lonergan, Sean 13:20 11 |
Prendergast, Alan 13:20 9 |
Colaiste Chiarain RC |
Hogan, Kevin 11:20 11 |
Colaiste Iognaid RC |
McGlacken, Kai |
Walls-Tuite, Eoghan |
Commercial RC |
Dolan, Sarah 13:00 4 |
Lambe, Eimear 13:00 10 |
Rodger, aisling 13:00 9 |
yeomans, william 11:20 12 |
Cork BC |
Beechinor, Claire 12:40 1 |
Hamel, Leonie 12:40 3 |
Kilbane, Laura 12:40 4 |
McCarthy, Neil 11:00 2 |
McClaughlin, Megan 12:40 2 |
Murphy, Stephen 11:00 3 |
Murray, Charlie 11:00 1 |
DUBC |
Flaherty, Paul |
DULBC |
Dolan, Sinead 13:00 5 |
O'Brien, Sally 13:00 6 |
Fermoy RC |
Blackburne, Megan 12:00 11 |
Shinnick, Hilary 12:00 10 |
Galway RC |
Murtagh, Fiona 12:40 6 |
Garda RC |
Laffey, Christopher 12:40 5 |
Killorglin RC |
Dukarska, Monika 12:00 7 |
Hyde, Zoe 12:00 12 |
Lagan Scullers Club |
Hethertington, Thomas |
Lee RC |
Breen, Mark 11:00 8 |
Buckley, Daniel 11:00 5 |
Keogh, Sam 11:00 6 |
Mitchel, John 11:00 4 |
O Sullivan, Rory 11:00 7 |
Stone, Evan 11:00 9 |
Molesey BC |
Keenan, Colm 12:20 7 |
Muckross RC |
O'Connor, Kara 13:00 11 |
Neptune RC |
Fogarty, Eoghan 11:40 9 |
Horan, Conor 11:40 8 |
Mulvaney, Shane 11:40 10 |
NUIGBC |
Keogh, Aifric |
Mullarkey, Edward 12:20 2 |
O'Connor, Sean 12:20 1 |
Old Collegians BC |
Puspure, Sanita 12:00 8 |
Portadown BC |
McKeown, Sam 11:40 12 |
Portora BC |
Anderson, Karl 13:40 1 |
Beacom, Alice 13:40 5 |
Clarke, Elizabeth 13:40 3 |
Finlayson, Chloe 13:40 4 |
Mulligan, Phoebe 13:40 6 |
Murry, Ewan 13:40 2 |
Presentation College RC |
Cregan, Thomas 14:00 6 |
Keohane, Brian 14:00 4 |
Keohane, David 14:00 5 |
Keohane, Kevin 14:00 3 |
QULBC |
Leahy, Aoife |
RBAIRC |
McKillen, Gareth 13:20 4 |
Robinson, Ben 11:40 11 |
Shandon B.C. |
Callanan, Daisy 11:40 6 |
Carroll, Luke 11:40 4 |
Casey, Jack 11:40 2 |
Harrington, Andy 11:40 1 |
Hennessy, Colm 11:40 5 |
O'Sullivan, Clodagh 11:40 3 |
Scannell, Clodagh 11:40 7 |
Shannon RC |
Blackwell, James 14:00 2 |
Carmody, Conor 14:00 1 |
Coll, Erin 13:00 3 |
Gilligan, Ruth 13:00 1 |
McHugh, Lauren 13:00 2 |
Skibbereen RC |
Burns, Aodhan 12:40 7 |
Dineen, Shelly |
Hegarty, Paddy 12:40 8 |
Ryan, Justin 12:20 8 |
Ryan, Matthew 12:40 10 |
Walsh, Bernadette 12:40 12 |
Walsh, Denise 12:40 11 |
St Michaels RC |
Clavin, Sheila |
Despard, Evan 12:20 4 |
McCarthy, Hannah 13:00 7 |
Murphy, Sarah 13:00 8 |
O Malley, David 12:20 5 |
O'Brien, Kate |
St.Josephs RC |
Egan, James 11:20 2 |
Fallon, Kevin 11:20 5 |
Finnerty, Colin 11:20 6 |
Kinneen, Aidan 11:20 1 |
Mcquillan-Tolan, Fionnan 11:20 7 |
Silke, Jack 11:20 3 |
smyth, jack 11:20 4 |
Tribesmen RC |
McCrohan, Siobhan |
UCCRC |
Kenny, Niall 12:20 9 |
UCDBC |
Bell, Andrew 12:20 12 |
Bennett, Siofra |
Collins, Grace |
Finnegan, Orla |
Lambe, Claire 12:00 6 |
Neale, David 12:20 6 |
Ni Reachtagain, Claire |
O'Donovan, Paul 12:20 10 |
ULRC |
Penny, Stephen 11:20 10 |
University of Surrey |
O'Reilly, Nathan 12:20 3 |
Waterford BC |
GOFF, Andrew 11:00 10 |
O'HANLON, Mike 11:00 11 |
(blank) |
Bulman, Amy 12:00 5 |
# ROWING: Sanita Puspure produced her customarily excellent performance to win the 5,000 m time trial at the National Assessment in Newry today, but the rise of young female talent was reflected in the performances of Bridget Jacques and Denise Walsh. Jacques, who is 17, was the fourth fastest woman and Walsh, who just turned 20 and is a lightweight, was just one place further back. Incoming Ireland performance director Morten Espersen said the level of performance he had seen today was comparable to that in Denmark.
Rowing Ireland |
5000m Time Trial |
25th November 2012 |
HP Team |
Nov 2012 |
Sex W |
Values |
Row Labels Time Senior % GMT Age % GMT |
Sanita Puspure (Old Collegians BC) HW 21:13.3 83.4% 83.4% |
Claire Lambe (UCD) LW 21:40.9 84.6% 84.6% |
Amy Bulman (UCDBC) LW 22:02.4 83.2% 83.2% |
Bridget Jacques (Belfast BC) WJ18 22:20.8 79.2% 84.7% |
Denise Walsh (Skibbereen RC) LWU23 22:24.6 81.8% 83.9% |
Sinead Dolan (DULBC) LWU23 22:41.3 80.8% 82.8% |
Hilary Shinnick (Fermoy RC) WJ18 22:41.3 78.1% 83.4% |
Siobhan McCrohan (Tribesmen RC) LW 22:44.1 80.6% 80.6% |
Kate O'Brien (SMRC) HWU20 22:46.1 77.8% 79.6% |
Cliona Hurst (NUIGBC) LW 23:11.0 79.1% 79.1% |
Bernadette Walsh (Skibbereen RC) WJ18 23:21.2 75.8% 81.0% |
Jasmin English (Belfast BC) WJ17 23:24.4 75.7% 80.8% |
Aoife Leahy (QULBC) LWU23 23:24.6 78.3% 80.3% |
Phoebe Mulligan (Portora BC) WJ18 23:32.3 75.2% 80.4% |
Aifric Keogh (NUIGBC) HWU23 23:35.5 75.1% 76.8% |
Claire Beechinor (Cork BC) WJ16 23:45.4 74.5% 79.6% |
Hannah McCarthy (St. Michaels RC) WJ18 23:59.5 73.8% 78.8% |
Kara O'Connor (Muckross RC) WJ16 24:07.7 73.4% 78.4% |
aisling Rodger (Commercial RC) WJ17 24:13.8 73.1% 78.1% |
Zoe Hyde (Killorglin RC) WJ16 24:14.9 73.0% 78.0% |
Laura Kilbane (Cork BC) WJ16 24:16.2 73.0% 77.9% |
Ruth Gilligan (Shannon RC) WJ18 24:22.0 72.7% 77.6% |
Eimear Lambe (Commercial RC) WJ16 24:29.7 72.3% 77.2% |
Daisy Callanan (Shandon B.C.) WJ18 24:31.8 72.2% 77.1% |
Alice Beacom (Portora BC) WJ16 24:51.0 71.3% 76.1% |
Erin Barry (Bann RC) WJ16 24:52.5 71.2% 76.0% |
Ellie Sherin (St. Michaels RC) WJ18 24:57.3 71.0% 75.8% |
Sarah Murphy (St. Michaels RC) WJ16 25:02.0 70.7% 75.6% |
Clodagh Scannell (Shandon B.C.) WJ18 25:13.7 70.2% 75.0% |
Erin Coll (Shannon RC) WJ16 25:24.7 69.7% 74.4% |
Helen Ryan (Shannon Rowing Club) LW 25:35.2 71.7% 71.7% |
Clodagh O'Sullivan (Shandon B.C.) WJ16 25:44.5 68.8% 73.5% |
Chloe Finlayson (Portora BC) WJ16 25:46.4 68.7% 73.4% |
Megan Blackburne (Fermoy RC) WJ18 26:01.0 68.1% 72.7% |
Elizabeth Clarke (Portora BC) WJ16 26:28.5 66.9% 71.4% |
# ROWING: Rowing Ireland have chosen Morten Espersen to be their new High Performance Director. The 61-year-old served as HPD in Denmark from 1993 to 2001 and went on to chair Denmark’s executive board for elite rowing. Denmark has had great success in the last two decades: their premier crew, the lightweight four, took three gold and two bronze medals in the last five Olympic Games, while the lightweight double scull took gold at London 2012. Fie Udby Erichsen also took a silver medal in the women's single sculls in London.
In a statement released by Rowing Ireland, Espersen said: “Rowing Ireland has the potential to succeed at the highest level and, working together with all stakeholders, I believe that this goal can be achieved.”
Espersen will take up his post in February. He will be based at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. He succeeds Martin McElroy, who has recently been appointed Performance Director for men's rowing in Canada.
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
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