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Dun Laoghaire's buoyant Flying Fifteen class is getting behind the new format Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2021 One Design event scheduled for July

With two boats already entered five months before the event, Class Captain Neil Colin of the DMYC is encouraging the Bay's Flying Fifteen sailors and those in other fleets around the country to put the Dun Laoghaire Harbour event in the diary. 

As regular Afloat readers will know, in order to facilitate social distancing and be Covid-19 compliant, a new regatta format will comprise a One Design Championship (2nd – 4th July 2021) specifically tailored for sailors in the one-design keelboat and dinghy classes. 

Preparations are off to a flying start with nine of the expected 22 racing classes already declaring regional or national championships to be held as part of the biennial sailing festival.

The Flying Fifteens have two entries so far, Neil Colin's own FFuzzy from the Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club and Niall Meagher's Ffantastic Mr Ffox from the National Yacht Club.

Traditionally, the FFers are big supporters of the Dun Laoghaire Regatta with a fleet of 24 boats mustered for the 2019 event and NYC duo David Gorman and Chris Doorly won the overall prize for the best one-design performance of the event.

Published in Volvo Regatta

Royal Cork Yacht Club's inaugural Fastnet 450 Race winner Nieulargo is among the latest entries into July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

The Muphy family's potent Grand Soleil 40 is now entered into two key Dublin offshore sailing fixtures. The first being June's 280-mile Volvo Dun Laoghaire-Dingle race.

Entry into July's VDLR Regatta means the top-performing south coast cruiser will be making a second trip to the East Coast a month later for the July offshore, a key Irish clash of the season. 

As regular Afloat readers will recall, in 2019, the IRC offshore class totalled 28-boats and 2021 is shaping up to be the same healthy number again with eight boats already signed up five months before the first gun.

It means more pressure for defending champion Seamus Fitzpatrick's  First 50, Mermaid. The Royal Irish Yacht Club skipper beat the Welsh J109 Mojito, an ISORA champion, for the VDLR title but this year, as Afloat reported previously, the competition looks even tighter with the arrival, among others, of the Ker 40, Arabella into the Dublin Bay scene. 

As well as Fastnet 450 Race success, the 2018 RCYC Boat of the Year also took Kinsale Yacht Club's own Fastnet Race title last year, making 2020 one of the most successful SCORA years for the Murphy clan.

VDLR Offshore fleet at January 15th

  • Arabella, Ker 40, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Niall Dowling
  • Jackknife, J125, Pwllheli Sailing Club, Andrew Hall Sam Hall
  • Mermaid IV, Beneteau First 50, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Seamus FitzPatrick
  • Black Velvet, Beneteau First 34.7, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Leslie and Ailbhe Parnell
  • Lively Lady, Beneteau First 44.7, Royal Irish Yacht Club Rodney & Keith Martin
  • D-TOX, X-35, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Patrick McSwiney and Kyran McStay
  • Nieulargo Grand Soleil 40 B&C, Royal Cork Yacht Club, Denis & Annamarie Murphy
  • WOW XP44 IRL, Royal Irish Yacht Club, George Sisk
  • (Double Handed), Silver Shamrock, Half Tonner, Howth Yacht Club, Conor Fogerty
Published in Volvo Regatta

230 visiting boats from a fleet of nearly 500 made up nearly half the 2019 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta fleet and this year organisers are reporting strong visitor interest again for 2021’s COVID-formatted event on Dublin Bay.

Interest is coming both from the one design and IRC divisions, six months ahead of the first gun.

The first 2021 entry was received from Northern Ireland, Jay Colville’s First 40, Forty Licks.

Colville, a regular visitor to the Bay, was a runner up in 2019’s Class Zero of the ICRA National Championships also held on Dublin Bay. The Royal Ulster YC and East Down YC entry performs well across the wind range and also finished second at VDLR 2019.

IRC Cruiser Racing at VDLR 2019 RegattaIRC Cruiser Racing at VDLR 2019 Regatta. In 2021 an Open Cruiser Championship (8th – 11th July 2021) will cater for the full range of Cruiser Handicap classes.

Confirmed from across the Irish Sea are IRC visitors, Ruth Adams Charisma 22, ‘HRT’ from West Lancashire Yacht Club and Jonathan Fawcett’s She 31 ‘She Too’ from Wales.

As Afloat reported earlier, VDLR’s offshore class will also have some UK interest with the arrival of the Cowes-based Fast 40, Arabella, sailing under the burgee of the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

Although the 230 yachts from outside the bay area took away only 11 trophies in 2019 (up from seven in 2017), the bulk of the Dun Laoghaire Regatta silverware stayed in Dublin. Such early UK entries this time however, might be an indication of more international interest in the regatta and a bigger raid on the Irish prizes in 2021?

New format regatta for 2021

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is a great festival of sailing across the waterfront and Dun Laoghaire town as four sailing clubs come together for the biennial event; Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club.

The 2019 Volvo Dun Laoghaire event was hailed an enormous success both afloat and ashore for a combined fleet of 498 boats in over 34 classes, the biggest on the Irish Sea. Over 290 races on five different courses were staged over four days.

For 2021, in order to facilitate social distancing and be Covid-19 compliant, a new regatta format will comprise a One Design Championship (2nd – 4th July 2021) specifically tailored for sailors in the one-design keelboat and dinghy classes. This to be followed by an Open Cruiser Championship (8th – 11th July 2021) catering for the full range of Cruiser Handicap classes.

Strong early VDLR entry

In liaising with classes, organisers estimate entry numbers are 'very good' and 'on a par with 2019', so it looks like both VDLR weekends will have a strong entry by the close of the early bird entry discount at the end March.

Published in Volvo Regatta

A positive 25 one design entries received so far into ten divisions of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2021 has been welcomed by organisers as the combined Dun Laoghaire clubs regatta rolls out its new COVID-compliant format event that splits the regatta between two weekends next July.

The early entries received seven months before the first gun are a sign of the regatta’s importance across the Irish Sea with entries already in from across Ireland and Northern Ireland and the UK.

Beneteau 31.7s

Royal Ulster Yacht Club’s John Minnis and crew will travel from Belfast Lough again in Final Call for the Beneteau 3.17 national championships that is being staged as part of the Regatta running from 2 to 4th July. Minnis was runner-up at the 2019 VDLR event.

The 31.7s are just one of nine class championships being held as part of the regatta.

The Dublin Bay based Beneteau 31.7 Levante. The class will race for national championships honours as part of VDLR 2021The Dublin Bay-based Beneteau 31.7 Levante. The class will race for national championships honours as part of VDLR 2021

Dragon East Coasts

The Dragon’s will race for east coast honours and one of the first entries in is Kinsale’s Tenacious skippered by Anthony O’Neill. The Dragon helm is in charge of the West Cork club’s Sovereign’s Cup regatta that will be held the week before the Dun Laoghaire event.

GP14s will race for Leinster honours on Dublin Bay in JulyGP14s will race for Leinster honours on Dublin Bay in July

GP14 Leinsters

Curly Morris, the President of the International GP14 Class, based at East Antrim Boat Club will contest the GP14 Leinster Championships as part of Dun Laoghaire. The dinghy class was one of the first to sign up for the new format event. A fleet of over 20 is expected.

Sigma 33s

Sigma 33 campaigner David Marchant is coming from Waterford Harbour to join the Dublin Bay fleet that usually attracts strong Scottish interest. 

Sigma 33 racing at VDLR 2019Sigma 33 racing at VDLR 2019

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is a great festival of sailing across the waterfront and Dun Laoghaire town as four sailing clubs come together for the biennial event; Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club.

The 2019 Volvo Dun Laoghaire event was hailed an enormous success both afloat and ashore for a combined fleet of 498 boats in over 34 classes, the biggest on the Irish Sea. Over 290 races on five different courses were staged over four days.

For 2021, in order to facilitate social distancing and be Covid-19 compliant, a new regatta format will comprise the One Design Championship specifically tailored for sailors in the one-design keelboat and dinghy classes. This to be followed by an Open Cruiser Championship (8th – 11th July 2021) catering for the full range of Cruiser Handicap classes.

Strong early VDLR 2021 entry

As Afloat reported previously, in liaising with classes, organisers estimate entry numbers are 'very good' and 'on a par with 2019', so it looks like both VDLR weekends will have a strong entry by the close of the early bird entry discount at the end March.

Published in Volvo Regatta

The defending Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta offshore champion is among the first six entries into that division for July’s regatta, a class that looks set to become one of the biggest fleets of the biennial event again.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, Seamus Fitzpatrick's victory in the First 50, Mermaid came in the final races of the 28-boat IRC offshore class in 2019 when the Royal Irish Yacht Club skipper beat the Welsh J109 Mojito, an ISORA champion, for the VDLR title.

Niall Dowling’s Ker 40 Arabella joins the VDLR offshore fleet

This July, Fitzpatrick can expect more competition in the form of club-mate Niall Dowling’s Ker 40 Arabella that is joining the VDLR offshore fray for the first time. London based Dowling took both line honours and the overall win in Wicklow’s Round Ireland Race in 2018 with the bigger Ker 43 Baraka GP and is set to be back on Irish waters next July 8.

Ker 40 ArabellaKer 40 Arabella (ex-Pace) racing on her home waters of the Solent in the UK's FAST 40 race circuit. Photo: RORC

Royal Irish Beneteau Entries

Three different Beneteau models are already entered for VDLR’s offshore class that, as predicted by Afloat, looks likely to be the type of racing most appropriate in 2021. As well as the Royal Irish champion First 50, other RIYC Beneteau’s are Leslie Parnell’s Beneteau First 34.7 and Keith and Rodney Martin’s Beneteau First 44.7, Lively Lady.

J125 Jackknife returns

Andrew Hall's J125 Jackknife competing in the 2019 VDLR event Photo: AfloatAndrew Hall's J125 Jackknife competing in the 2019 VDLR event Photo: Afloat

Another strong offshore entry returning to Dun Laoghaire Harbour is Andrew Hall's J125 Pwhelli-based Jackknife. This regular Irish visitor only narrowly missed out on the 2019 ISORA overall title and was a late favourite into the 2019 Dun Laoghaire Dingle Race.

Two-handed class

As well as a buoyant offshore class, VDLR has also initiated a new two-handed offshore class, a move that has been warmly received by short-handed sailing exponents such as top Irish Figaro sailor, Tom Dolan. 

New format regatta for 2021

The Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is a great festival of sailing across the waterfront and Dun Laoghaire town as four sailing clubs come together for the biennial event; Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club.

The 2019 Volvo Dun Laoghaire event was hailed an enormous success both afloat and ashore for a combined fleet of 498 boats in over 34 classes, the biggest on the Irish Sea. Over 290 races on five different courses were staged over four days.

For 2021, in order to facilitate social distancing and be Covid-19 compliant a new regatta format will comprise a One Design Championship (2nd – 4th July 2021) specifically tailored for sailors in the one-design keelboat and dinghy classes. This to be followed by an Open Cruiser Championship (8th – 11th July 2021) catering for the full range of Cruiser Handicap classes.

Strong early VDLR entry

In liaising with classes, organisers estimate entry numbers are 'very good' and 'on a par with 2019', so it looks like both VDLR weekends will have a strong entry by the close of the early bird entry discount at the end March.

Published in Volvo Regatta

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta organisers are reporting entries are 'streaming in' for next July's new two-weekend format big sailing event on Dublin Bay

Changes to the split the regatta over two weekends to ensure COVID regulation compliance have been given a thumbs up from competitors but changes don't stop there with other innovations including the addition of a new two-handed IRC class also well received

In an end of year shout-out to competitors, organisers say enter before 31 December 2020  to be automatically entered into an Early Bird Draw to be in with a chance of winning one a VDLR Hospitality Vouchers to the value of €100. Vouchers may be redeemed against Food & Drink during VDLR 2021 at your allocated base club.

Published in Volvo Regatta

Top Irish Figaro skipper Tom Dolan has given a thumbs up to Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's addition of a double-handed class into next July's event.

"Yes, it's great to see and about bloody time!" Dolan says about the new racing division for Ireland's biggest sailing event in 2021.

As outlined in the Irish regatta's Notice of Race published last week, Dun Laoghaire Regatta is open to Offshore Double Handed and Mixed Two Person boats with an IRC rating between .800 and 1.030.  Boats outside these limits may be accepted at the sole discretion of the OA.

As Afloat reported yesterday, while the VDLR race may not be a true offshore, it does provide the opportunity for serious competitors to sharpen their boat to boat skills while allowing newcomers to the discipline to try it out without the commitment required by full-on offshore. 

Dolan says depending on the format of the regatta – and if there is coastal races and windward/leewards courses – then sailors will get a bit more work around the cans shorthanded so it will be great for people who want something a bit more intense. "This will eventually lead to the overall skill level rising, I would imagine," Dolan told Afloat.

Dolan queried the proposed VDLR rating limits tho, "the rating limit of 1.030, seems very low and given the amount of Sunfast 3600s and J boats around Dublin, it seems a bit off but I'd imagine they will be a bit quite flexible for boats above this rating?" he said.

One of the first entries into the VDLR class is Conor Fogerty's classic half-tonner Silver Shamrock

Paris Olympic Mixed Keelboat decision deferred

Meanwhile, the IOC says it has deferred a decision on a spot for the Mixed Two Person keelboat in Paris 2024 until next Summer, as Afloat reports here 

Dolan, along with two other fledgeling teams are in the running for the Irish berth if adopted by the IOC.

Published in Tom Dolan

An exciting addition to Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is its offshore double-handed and mixed keelboat component to the July 2021 event. 

Offshore Mixed Doubles is the fastest-growing segment of offshore sailing that is also set to become an Olympic sport in 2024 as Afloat previously reported here.

As outlined in the Irish regatta's Notice of Race published last week, Dun Laoghaire Regatta is open to Offshore Double Handed & Mixed Two Person boats with an IRC rating between .800 and 1.030.  Boats outside these limits may be accepted at the sole discretion of the OA.

While the VDLR race may not be a true offshore, it does provide the opportunity for serious competitors to sharpen their boat to boat skills while allowing newcomers to the discipline to try it out without the commitment required by full-on offshore. 

Conor Fogerty's Silver Shamrock is one of the first entries into VDLR's 2021 double-handed division Photo: AfloatConor Fogerty's Silver Shamrock is one of the first entries into VDLR's 2021 double-handed division Photo: Afloat

As far as Ireland is concerned, there is significant interest in the new Olympic discipline with currently up to three (or maybe four) possible contenders already for the single berth at the Paris 2024 Olympics even though a final decision on the new class has been deferred until next Summer. These include Tom Dolan who has not yet announced a 2024 sailing partner, Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee from Dun Laoghaire and Greystones and Conor Fogerty and Susan Glenny from Howth. Fogerty has been an early entry into the VDLR and will sail double-handed with Suzanne Ennis in his classic half tonner Silver Shamrock.

Dun Laoghaire Regatta organisers say automatic and wind-vane devices for steering may be used in the Two Person Class. 

Boats shall hold and carry aboard a valid 2021 IRC rating certificate issued no later than 1700 on Friday 25 June 2021 and shall be compliant with World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations 2020.

Published in Volvo Regatta

The Notice of Race (NOR) for next July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta has been published this morning.

The NOR is downloadable below as a PDF document.

As regular Afloat readers will know, what is Ireland's largest regatta will now be split over two weekend's next July and as the NOR reveals is operating under the 2021 tagline: 'Two weekends one great regatta'. 

In order to facilitate social distancing and be Covid-19 compliant a new regatta format will comprise a One Design Championship (2nd – 4th July 2021) specifically tailored for sailors in the one-design keelboat and dinghy classes. This to be followed by an Open Cruiser Championship (8th – 11th July 2021) catering for the full range of Cruiser Handicap classes.

Sailors have been quick to get on board with the new format with a number of classes already signed up. Nine of the expected 22 racing classes have already declared regional or national championships to be held as part of the biennial sailing festival.

The NOR document is downloadable below as a PDF.

Published in Volvo Regatta

In addition to Volvo’s confirmation of Title Sponsorship of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2021 as announced previously by Afloat here, further sponsors have now also confirmed their support for the new format of the Dublin Bay regatta next July.

In order to facilitate social distancing and be Covid-19 compliant a new regatta style will comprise a One Design Championship (2nd – 4th July 2021) specifically tailored for sailors in the one-design keelboat and dinghy classes. This to be followed by an Open Cruiser Championship (8th – 11th July 2021) catering for the full range of Cruiser Handicap classes.

Supporting this initiative, previous sponsors Collen and Rationel say they are returning for 2021.

The sponsors have issued the following announcements:

Collen

Collen is delighted to announce its sponsorship of the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2021. Collen was first invited to sponsor VDLR in 2017, the year in which Dun Laoghaire harbour celebrated it’s bi-centenary, a milestone in history that is shared with Collen. The Company is honoured to be involved in VDLR 2021; efforts to create an exciting and innovative format that opens further opportunities for great sailing is certainly commendable, especially in these unprecedented times. Collen is very proud to continue it’s support of Irish Sailing, sponsoring Annalise Murphy in her Olympic bid for Tokyo next year. It will be an exciting year ahead for Ireland’s sailing community.

Rationel

Rationel has also confirmed its involvement with what is Ireland’s premier regatta. "In these most difficult of times, we all need something to look forward to and VDLR 2021 certainly ticks all the boxes. The new format is exciting and lends itself to a safe environment whilst allowing all to participate in what is our favoured sport, " a Rationel spokesman said. 

Published in Volvo Regatta
Page 8 of 17

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