Displaying items by tag: Éire Composites

17th July 2023

Connemara Firm Teams With Galway University to Develop Technology for Greener Shipping

An industrial design company in Connemara has announced its partnership with the University of Galway for a new project that aims for a greener shipping industry by using lightweight material to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Over the next two years of the FASTSHIP project, ÉireComposites will lead development and manufacturing of composite components that can reduce drag on ships, thereby cutting fuel usage.

The University of Galway, meanwhile, will take charge of analysis and testing of the prototypes, using its own BladeComp software to optimise the designs.

The two parties also aim to optimise the manufacturing process for ensuring large volume production at reduced costs.

The Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) and the Marine Institute are providing almost €600,000 of funding to the project, under the SEAI National Energy Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Funding Programme 2022.

Kerrie Sheehan, head of R&D at SEAI said: “Maritime transport plays an essential role in Ireland as an island nation and SEAI recognise the need to invest in research that will contribute to achieving emissions reductions in this sector and our 2030 overall targets.”

Veronica Cunningham, research funding office manager at the Marine Institute added: “The Irish maritime sector, in line with the sector across Europe, is seeking ways to decarbonise operations, reduce greenhouse gases emissions and increase the use of low-carbon and renewable fuels to replace fossil fuels for shipping.

“The FASTSHIP project will develop a solution that can be retrofitted to existing vessels or designed into new ships, with a significant reduction in fuel consumption and consequently decreasing vessel carbon emissions and shipping costs.”

Published in Ports & Shipping

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Connemara Company Secures €3m from EU to Design Marine Turbine from Recycled Materials

A Connemara company has secured €3 million from the European Commission to research and design a marine turbine that uses recycled materials for the first time.

As The Times Ireland edition reports, designers at ÉireComposites in Indreabhán, Co Galway, believe their marine hydrokinetic power system can produce clean energy reliably at a reduced cost.

It will work with partners including marine renewable energy specialists Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC), NUI Galway, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials in Germany and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, the Italian state research company.

A graphic of the RivGen device deployed

Total value of the project is €3.9m, of which some €3m has been awarded to the Irish design team.

RivGen Power System in 2019 at Igiugig, Alaska

Tomás Flanagan, chief executive officer at ÉireComposites, said the aim is to use recycled carbon fibre for a “mini” version of a larger turbine that ORPC will build.

The RivGen device operating in the Alaskan Kvichak River in April 2020

He says that marine turbine systems can harvest a potential 615 terawatt-hours per year from tidal streams, ocean currents and river currents – as in approximately 21 times Ireland’s annual electricity use.

Named “Crimson”, as in “Commercialisation of a Recyclable and Innovative Manufacturing Solution for an Optimised Novel”, the turbine project is being supported by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Fast Track to Innovation programme.

An aerial view of the RivGen device operating in the Kvichak River, in Alaska in August 2019

ÉireComposites has already worked with ORPC, which has headquarters in Portland, Maine, USA and a base in Ireland, on previous turbine design projects.

These include ORPC’s first commercial river generation power system, installed in Igiugig, Alaska, to provide a remote community with local energy from the Kvichak river.

The Connemara company is one of 16 partners in seven countries in the EU-funded Marewind project to design the next generation of offshore wind turbines.

It also recently secured a contract to design and manufacture equipment for the European Space Agency’s Altius satellite, which is due to be launched from French Guiana in 2023

Read The Times Ireland here

Published in Power From the Sea

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Ireland & La Solitaire du Figaro

The Solitaire du Figaro, was originally called the course de l’Aurore until 1980, was created in 1970 by Jean-Louis Guillemard and Jean-Michel Barrault.

Half a decade later, the race has created some of France's top offshore sailors, and it celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new boat equipped with foils and almost 50 skippers Including novices, aficionados and six former winners.

The solo multi-stage offshore sailing race is one of the most cherished races in French sailing and one that has had Irish interest stretching back over 20 years due to the number of Irish stopovers, usually the only foreign leg of the French race.

What Irish ports have hosted The Solitaire du Figaro?

The race has previously called to Ireland to the following ports; Dingle, Kinsale, Crosshaven, Howth and Dun Laoghaire.

What Irish sailors have raced The Solitaire du Figaro?

So far there have been seven Irish skippers to participate in La Solitaire du Figaro.

In 1997, County Kerry's Damian Foxall first tackled the Figaro from Ireland. His win in the Rookie division in DHL gave him the budget to compete again the following year with Barlo Plastics where he won the final leg of the race from Gijon to Concarneau. That same year a second Irish sailor Marcus Hutchinson sailing Bergamotte completed the course in 26th place and third Rookie.

In 2000, Hutchinson of Howth Yacht Club completed the course again with IMPACT, again finishing in the twenties.

In 2006, Paul O’Riain became the third Irish skipper to complete the course.

In 2013, Royal Cork's David Kenefick raised the bar by becoming a top rookie sailor in the race.

In 2018, for the first time, Ireland had two Irish boats in the offshore race thanks to Tom Dolan and Joan Mulloy who joined the rookie ranks and kept the Irish tricolour flying high in France. Mulloy became the first Irish female to take on the race.

Tom Dolan in Smurfit Kappa competed for his third year in 2020 after a 25th place finish in 2019. Dolan sailed a remarkably consistent series in 2020 and took fifth overall, the best finish by a non-French skipper since 1997 when Switzerland’s Dominique Wavre finished runner up. Dolan wins the VIVI Trophy.

Dolan finished 10th on the first stage, 11th on the second and seventh into Saint Nazaire at the end of the third stage. Stage four was abandoned due to lack of wind.

Also in 2020, Dun Laoghaire’s Kenneth Rumball became the eleventh Irish sailor to sail the Figaro.

At A Glance – Figaro Race

It starts in June or July from a French port.
The race is split into four stages varying from year to year, from the length of the French coast and making up a total of around 1,500 to 2,000 nautical miles (1,700 to 2,300 mi; 2,800 to 3,700 km) on average.
Over the years the race has lasted between 10 and 13 days at sea.
The competitor is alone in the boat, participation is mixed.
Since 1990, all boats are of one design.