Question 1

What is offshore renewable energy?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

Which resource has the most advanced technology?

Accepted Answer

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".

Question 3

How big is offshore wind?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 4

How many offshore fixed and floating wind farms are planned for Irish waters?

Accepted Answer

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).

Question 5

How do wind farms connect to the national grid?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

What is the planning regime in Ireland for offshore wind?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

Who are the main investors in Irish offshore wind?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 9

What is the projected generating capacity from offshore wind in Irish waters?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 10

How high are the wind turbines offshore?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 11

What is the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme or RESS

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 12

Does RESS apply to offshore wind farming?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

What is the difference between fixed and floating offshore wind farms?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 14

Do offshore wind farms pose a hazard to wildlife and what mitigation measures are in place?

Accepted Answer

Environmental 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.

Question 15

How many people are typically employed on an offshore wind farm?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 16

What are the training routes to becoming involved in offshore wind?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 17

What types of employment are available?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 18

How important could offshore wind energy be?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 19

How advanced is wave technology for renewable energy?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 20

How is the Irish industry represented?

Accepted Answer

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.

Category Report –Neptune HOR 9th November 2013
Category	Rank	Boat	Club/Crew	Race	Time
	Mens Inter 4+	1	210	D.U.B.C.	2	00:13:37
	2	9	D.U.B.C.	1	00:14:10
	3	208	NUI Galway BC	2	00:14:36
	4	209	U.C.D. BC	2	00:14:49
	5	112	Carlow **TIME ONLY	1	00:14:57
	6	10	NUI Galway BC	1	00:15:10
	7	8	U.C.D. BC	1	00:15:12
	8	212	NUI Galway BC B	2	00:15:46
	Mens Inter. 1X	1	276	D.U.B.C. A (Morgan)	2	00:15:41
	2	73	D.U.B.C. A (Hurley)	1	00:15:59
	3	72	U.C.D. BC A (Moore)	1	00:16:07
	4	75	NUI Galway BC A (Keane)	1	00:16:13
	5	279	D.U.B.C. B (Acheson)	2	00:16:13
	6	280	D.U.B.C. C (Magan)	2	00:16:16
	7	71	Garda Siochana BC A (Kelly)	1	00:16:28
	8	78	D.U.B.C. B (McElroy)	1	00:16:43
	9	285	D.U.B.C. F (Keogh)	2	00:16:50
	10	288	D.U.B.C. J (McCormick)	2	00:16:54
	11	287	D.U.B.C. I (Dunne)	2	00:16:56
	12	283	D.U.B.C. D (Kelly)	2	00:17:00
	13	289	D.U.B.C. L (Ryan)	2	00:17:15
	14	86	D.U.B.C. E (Rawlinson)	1	00:17:17
	15	82	Commercial RC C (Keogh)	1	00:17:20
	16	85	D.U.B.C. D (Butler)	1	00:17:29
	17	284	D.U.B.C. E (Coulter)	2	00:17:30
	18	277	City of Derry BC (D'Urso)	2	00:17:44
	19	77	U.C.D. BC B (Kennedy)	1	00:17:45
	20	302	Carlow (Roberts) **TIME ONLY	2	00:17:53
	21	286	D.U.B.C. G (Keegan)	2	00:17:58
	09 November 2013	Page 1 of 7
Category Report –Neptune HOR 9th November 2013
Category	Rank	Boa	Club/Crew	Race	Time
	Mens Inter. 1X	22	88	D.U.B.C. G (Corcoran)	1	00:17:58
	23	275	U.C.D. BC (Kennedy)	2	00:18:01
	24	301	Carlow (Ayres) **TIME ONLY	2	00:18:01
	25	91	D.U.B.C. J (Pounch)	1	00:18:06
	26	90	D.U.B.C. I (Costello)	1	00:18:08
	27	291	D.U.B.C. N (Addison)	2	00:18:12
	28	80	NUI Galway BC B (Breen)	1	00:18:17
	29	89	D.U.B.C. H (Riegel)	1	00:18:19
	30	76	Garda Siochana BC B (Murphy)	1	00:18:20
	31	290	D.U.B.C. M (Dover)	2	00:18:29
	32	116	Carlow (Ayres) **TIME ONLY	1	00:18:42
	33	292	D.U.B.C. O (Brennan)	2	00:19:00
	34	74	Commercial RC A (Sweetman)	1	00:19:14
	35	117	Carlow (Roberts) **TIME ONLY	1	00:19:36
	36	93	D.U.B.C. L (Moreau)	1	00:20:01
	37	281	Blackrock College RC C (Egan)	2	00:20:06
	38	278	Blackrock College RC B (Mc Namara)	2	00:20:10
	39	273	Blackrock College RC A (Brassil)	2	00:22:09
	40	92	D.U.B.C. K (Slevin)	1	00:22:22
	Mens Inter. 8	1	201	Carlow RC	2	00:13:01
	2	3	U.C.D. BC	1	00:13:03
	3	202	Garda Siochana BC	2	00:13:47
	Mens Junior 8	1	203	Portora Boat Club	2	00:13:02
	2	4	Carlow RC	1	00:15:11
	Mens Junior 16 4X+	1	245	Portora Boat Club	2	00:15:06
	2	246	Blackrock College RC	2	00:15:15
	3	247	Graiguenamanagh BC	2	00:15:18
	4	248	Three Castles Rowing Club	2	00:16:20
	5	249	Blackrock College RC B	2	00:18:26
	09 November 2013	Page 2 of 7

Category Report –Neptune HOR 9th November 2013
Category	Rank	Boa	Club/Crew	Race	Time
	Mens Junior 16 8	1	23	Portora Boat Club	1	00:13:48
	2	231	Neptune RC	2	00:15:48
	3	24	Carlow RC	1	00:16:08
	4	26	Blackrock College RC	1	00:16:13
	5	229	Blackrock College RC	2	00:16:34
	6	22	Neptune RC	1	00:16:35
	7	27	Portora Boat Club B	1	00:16:53
	8	232	Portora Boat Club	2	00:17:18
	9	25	Commercial RC	1	00:21:43
	Mens Junior 4+	1	250	Blackrock College RC	2	00:14:53
	2	37	Blackrock College RC	1	00:15:10
	Mens Masters 4+	1	38	Carlow RC (c 195)	1	00:16:02
	Mens Masters 8	1	11	Commercial RC (c 377)	1	00:14:12
	2	214	Old Collegians BC/Three Castles	2	00:15:28
	Mens Novice 4+	1	39	NUI Galway BC	1	00:15:44
	Mens Novice 4X+	1	41	Blackrock College RC	1	00:17:03
	2	244	Commercial RC	2	00:18:15
	3	42	Commercial RC	1	00:21:05
	Mens Novice 8	1	207	Neptune RC	2	00:14:55
	2	21	Neptune RC	1	00:15:03
	Mens Senior 1X	1	268	U.C.D. BC C (Kenny)	2	00:15:07
	2	70	U.C.D. BC D (Kenny)	1	00:15:19
	3	65	U.C.D. BC B (O'Donovan)	1	00:15:23
	4	263	NUI Galway BC (O'Connor)	2	00:15:25
	5	63	Skibbereen RC (O'Donovan)	1	00:15:38
	6	61	Lee Valley RC (Keohane)	1	00:15:59
	7	62	U.C.D. BC A (Bailey)	1	00:16:04
	09 November 2013	Page 3 of 7

Category Report –Neptune HOR 9th November 2013
Category	Rank	Boa	Club/Crew	Race	Time
	Mens Senior 1X	8	67	U.C.C. RC (Ryan)	1	00:16:07
	9	66	L.E.B.C. A (King)	1	00:16:24
	10	264	Three Castles Rowing Club	2	00:16:25
	11	267	Portora Boat Club A (Murphy)	2	00:17:12
	12	265	Offaly RC A (O'Donohue)	2	00:17:13
	13	69	L.E.B.C. B (Smyth)	1	00:18:23
	Mens Senior 2-	1	113	St. Michaels RC **TIME ONLY	1	00:14:52
	Mens Senior 2X	1	216	Skibbereen RC/U.C.D. BC	2	00:13:29
	2	223	NUI Galway BC B	2	00:14:05
	3	220	Carlow RC	2	00:14:20
	4	13	Gráinne Mhaol RC/U.C.D. BC	1	00:14:36
	5	215	NUI Galway BC	2	00:14:47
	6	222	L.E.B.C.	2	00:14:51
	7	14	Portora Boat Club	1	00:14:57
	8	221	Neptune RC B	2	00:15:00
	9	12	Garda Siochana BC	1	00:15:43
	10	16	NUI Galway BC	1	00:16:07
	11	17	U.C.D. BC B	1	00:16:31
	12	219	D.U.B.C.	2	00:16:53
	13	218	Commercial RC	2	00:23:35
	Mens Senior 4-	1	205	Gráinne Mhaol RC/St. Michaels	2	00:12:43
	2	5	Gráinne Mhaol RC/NUI Galway BC	1	00:13:20
	3	204	Gráinne Mhaol RC/NUI Galway BC	2	00:13:23
	4	7	NUI Galway BC B	1	00:13:50
	5	206	NUI Galway BC	2	00:14:03
	6	217	Neptune RC	2	00:14:23
	Mens Senior 8	1	200	U.C.D. BC	2	00:12:34
	2	2	Carlow RC/Three Castles Rowing Club	1	00:12:41
	09 November 2013	Page 4 of 7

Category Report –Neptune HOR 9th November 2013
Category	Rank	Boa	Club/Crew	Race	Time
	Mens Senior 8	3	1	Neptune RC	1	00:12:45
	Mixed Masters 8	1	300	Carlow **TIME ONLY	2	00:15:31
	Touring 4X	1	303	Tribesmen RC A **TIME ONLY	2	00:20:00
	2	119	Tribesmen RC B **TIME ONLY	1	00:20:01
	3	304	Tribesmen RC B **TIME ONLY	2	00:21:17
	4	118	Tribesmen RC A **TIME ONLY	1	00:21:32
	Womens Inter 4 +	1	254	NUI Galway BC	2	00:16:17
	2	48	Dublin University Ladies BC	1	00:17:06
	3	45	NUI Galway BC	1	00:17:12
	4	44	U.C.D. BC	1	00:18:14
	5	253	U.C.D. BC	2	00:18:24
	6	46	Commercial RC	1	00:18:39
	7	255	Neptune RC	2	00:19:27
	8	47	Neptune RC	1	00:19:36
	Womens Inter. 1X	1	110	Commercial RC B (Foley)	1	00:17:37
	2	299	Garda Siochana BC (Holden)	2	00:17:55
	3	106	Commercial RC A (Jennings)	1	00:18:19
	4	108	Dublin University Ladies BC B (Leahy)	1	00:18:32
	5	111	Dublin University Ladies BC C	1	00:19:00
	6	107	Garda Siochana BC B (Gannon)	1	00:19:05
	7	105	Carlow RC A (Byrne)	1	00:19:58
	8	109	Carlow RC B (Mc Grath)	1	00:20:22
	9	104	Dublin University Ladies BC A (Cass)	1	00:21:08
	Womens Inter. 8	1	224	Dublin University Ladies BC	2	00:15:20
	2	18	Dublin University Ladies BC	1	00:15:56
	Womens Jun 16 4X+	1	259	Offaly RC	2	00:16:39
	2	56	Commercial RC	1	00:18:32
	3	57	Three Castles Rowing Club	1	00:18:40
	09 November 2013	Page 5 of 7
Category Report –Neptune HOR 9th November 2013
Category	Rank	Boa	Club/Crew	Race	Time
	Womens Jun 16 4X+	4	258	Commercial RC	2	00:18:41
	Womens Jun 16 8	1	51	Portora Boat Club	1	00:15:37
	2	251	Portora Boat Club	2	00:16:26
	3	52	Portora Boat Club B	1	00:17:28
	4	252	Portora Boat Club B	2	00:18:08
	5	53	Portora Boat Club C	1	00:18:42
	Womens Junior 8	1	228	Portora Boat Club	2	00:14:45
	2	226	Commercial RC	2	00:15:57
	3	227	Neptune RC	2	00:16:22
	4	19	Neptune RC	1	00:18:37
	Womens Junior 4-	1	43	Neptune RC	1	00:19:05
	Womens Masters 4+	1	115	Carlow **TIME ONLY	1	00:18:32
	Womens Novice 4+	1	256	Dublin University Ladies BC	2	00:17:12
	2	257	U.C.D. BC	2	00:17:22
	3	55	U.C.D. BC	1	00:17:53
	Womens Novice 4X+	1	261	Graiguenamanagh BC	2	00:17:57
	2	59	Graiguenamanagh BC	1	00:18:43
	3	260	Garda Siochana BC	2	00:19:44
	4	60	Commercial RC B	1	00:23:38
	Womens Senior 1X	1	298	Three Castles Rowing Club B (Walshe)	2	00:16:26
	2	294	Three Castles Rowing Club A (Moran	2	00:16:31
	3	297	Commercial RC C (Dolan)	2	00:16:37
	4	101	Three Castles Rowing Club B (Moran	1	00:16:53
	5	95	Commercial RC (Dolan)	1	00:17:23
	6	102	Three Castles Rowing Club C (Walshe)	1	00:17:23
	7	100	Dublin University Ladies BC B	1	00:18:00
	8	99	NUI Galway BC (Hurst)	1	00:18:07
	09 November 2013	Page 6 of 7
Category Report –Neptune HOR 9th November 2013
Category	Rank	Boa	Club/Crew	Race	Time
	Womens Senior 1X	9	98	Three Castles Rowing Club A (Quinn)	1	00:18:07
	10	296	Commercial RC A (Rodger)	2	00:18:16
	Womens Senior 2X	1	236	Commercial RC	2	00:16:09
	2	31	NUI Galway BC/Tribesmen RC	1	00:16:14
	3	235	U.C.D. BC	2	00:16:41
	4	240	U.C.D. BC B	2	00:16:45
	5	33	Commercial RC	1	00:16:49
	6	237	Carlow RC	2	00:17:43
	7	34	U.C.D. BC B	1	00:17:48
	8	32	Neptune RC	1	00:18:30
	9	241	Commercial RC B	2	00:19:24
	10	243	U.C.D. BC C	2	00:19:29
	11	238	Neptune RC	2	00:19:47
	12	30	U.C.D. BC	1	00:20:15
	13	35	U.C.D. BC C	1	00:21:39
	Womens Senior 4-	1	233	NUI Galway BC/Tribesmen RC	2	00:14:32
	2	29	U.C.D. BC	1	00:15:15
	3	28	Dublin University Ladies BC	1	00:15:45
	4	234	U.C.D. BC	2	00:16:53
	Womens Senior 8	1	213	Dublin University Ladies BC	2	00:14:18
	09 November 2013	Page 7 of 7

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