About Waterpower ...

Waterpower has been involved in the energy business for many years across three sectors of business – energy supply, energy generation and consultancy.

Based in Strand St in Kanturk, Waterpower was founded by Dan Twomey in 2002 following his work on hydro-electricity stations across the country. In 2003 the business focus changed after he secured a licence to supply electricity to domestic and commercial customers and purchase electricity from other small renewable electricity generators.

generally be achievable during the months of April to August/September, when the sunshine would be – or should be – at its peak.

While this would be more than enough for most households, Dan estimates that a glimpse at the power consumption on any given day, which is possible with the assistance of a smart meter, would reveal a maximum power usage of around 500 watts apart from peak times – the game changer will be the green light in the second quarter of 2021 for households to sell excess energy back to the supplier and gain credit or get paid for that.

“There are a few complicating factors – for instance, you will have to make sure

Waterpower are now 18 years in business and is at the forefront of renewable energy solutions.

In recent years the company has shifted their focus to Solar Photo-Voltaic (Solar PV) energy generation with a view to making the technology more accessible and reducing fossil fuel dependency.

Waterpower also has extensive experience in Hydro Power having over the years been involved in the development of over 25 Hydro Electricity stations right across Ireland.

that you are complying with planning permission and, as well as that, you may be generating excess power but the system may not need it when you generate it and need not buy it back.”

The simplification of the system so more people are attracted to and can generate their own power is something which Dan would be in favour of – however, he does acknowledge that a very complex system may not be easy to simplify, especially at weekends when energy is not needed in large amounts.

He does think that the incentivisation of industry to go down the road of generating its power through solar or wind or, indeed, the most reliable of all power sources, water, is essential, be it

through tax or grants.

He points to the self employed person who can offset the entire cost of installing a solar PV system on the roof of his workshop against his/her tax liability for the year, a facility which is not available to the PAYE worker, and received a grant. That generates a considerable saving.

His main focus, however, is on education as getting people to switch off unneeded devices and be more conscious of the energy they’re using would go a long way to reducing emissions.

He’s also conscious that it’s not how fast we’re moving is the issue, but that we’re moving in the right direction.

“It’s not about the speed we’re going in but the direction of travel,” he said.