Wind turbines to power the future
Planning for 7 offshore farms gets go-ahead
HUNDREDS of giant turbines are being proposed around our coasts to power an offshore wind revolution.
Seven massive farms at sea were this week give the green light to enter planning stages.
The vision to produce one quarter of the country’s energy would see the machines dotted about 20km off the coastline from Louth to Wicklow in the east and Galway in the west.
The billion-euro farms can generate enough electricity to power 400,000 homes each as well as taking 600,000 tonnes of carbon out of the air every year.
They would also create a jobs bonanza for communities according to Irish Wind Energy Association chief David Connolly.
He told the Irish Mirror yesterday: “If all of these are built they could provide one quarter of Ireland’s electricity.
“It will energise Ireland’s offshore wind industry and puts us on the path to achieving our 2030 targets for offshore wind.
“Ireland has some of the best offshore wind resources in the world and when completed these projects will deliver enormous cuts in our CO2 emissions.
“Each project is probably looking at up to 50 turbines off the coast. It depends on design but typically you will only see a cluster of six about the size of your thumbnail if you look from the shoreline.
“They are far away and have no noise issues. They can bring a boost to the local economy and people are now more aware of the need to tackle climate change.
“Each project will also be concentrating on working with local communities and fishermen along the east coast to make sure they are involved and consulted.” The giant turbines can be up to 260 metres high – just 40 metres shorter than the Eiffel Tower. Up to 500 would be needed to produce the 3.5GW of wind power required to reach Ireland’s 2030 climate change targets.
This week Environment Minister Richard Bruton fast-tracked seven “relevant projects” by five firms.
They can now begin to engage with new marine planning laws and negotiate how they would plug into the national grid.
Ireland aims to produce 70% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2030. The seven-turbine Arklow Bank Wind Park is currently the only operational offshore facility in the country.
It was built in 2004 to prove Ireland could become a major player in the industry. The turbines are over 120 metres tall – the height of the Dublin Spire. Operators SSE Airtricity plan to massively increase its scale alongside the new projects.
SSE has a licence to build 200 more turbines about 13 kilometres out to sea along a 27-kilometre stretch of the Wicklow coast.
Ireland now has 250 onshore wind farms providing one third of the country’s energy.
Around 40,000 people live within two kilometres of one.
25%
of Ireland’s electricity could be provided by these wind farms