This article is from page 71 of the 2009-08-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 71 JPG
A NEW era in renewable energy for J Sava tcmexe) 00 (OMnXelOye MM oLomO)I ML AMA ce NARia lie! the town’s public lighting, and the lo- cal swimming pool, being powered by hydro energy from the River Fer- Pale
Oe erm eames eon day confirmed that around seven ten- ders have been received to carry out a study into the mico hydro electric- ity potential of the the river system in Clare.
“This is very exciting and, if the power of the River Fergus can be utlised in Ennis, it will save Ennis Town Council tens of thousands of euro every year,’ said Cllr Meaney.
“Tt will also off-set Ennis’s carbon footprint and make Ennis a more sustainable town into the future. It is a pity it was not done years ago, but the technology is there now.
“Tt will also allow the council di- vert funding for electricity into much needed areas of captial spending,” he rnLGe
“Tt also has the attraction of mak- ing Ennis a ‘green energy’ town. All councillors are happy to support the intiative.
“The Fergus was used on a much more pro-active basis in the past, and
it is time that its rich resource was used again.”
Cllr Meaney said that the annual energy bill for the swimming pool is quite high, and that the use of the Fergus to heat the pool would put the local council at the forefront of green energy initiatives.
The aims of the study are to iden- tify the useful micro hydro electric potential in County Clare, and to cat- egorise the sites identified into “do- mestic” and “commercial”.
According to the Limerick Clare Energy Agency, “this study will be an important policy and planning document for the development of re- newable energy potential in County Or Tren
“The reports may also form the basis of a further more detailed eco- nomic feasibility study, seeking grant assistance in the development of the site(s) identified.”
The desk top study will carry out a review of existing literature and research on hydro electric power po- tential in County Clare; identify any “domestic” scale sites; identify any “commercial” scale sites; identify the suitable micro hydro electric tur- bines available; identify appropriate turbines to match the flow and head characteristics of the various sites.