Local Energy Projects / Installations

The following is a sample of public / community based renewable energy projects, which have been completed in Waterford. The greater the number of projects developed by communities in Waterford, the better it is for a sustainable energy future for everyone of Waterford.

Waterford Renewable Energy Co-operative:  Community Owned Energy Cooperative that is partaking in biomass and wind energy projects.

Warmer Homes Scheme: The scheme was introduced in 2002. Private home owners in receipt of fuel allowance or disability payments are eligible for this scheme. Measures covered under the scheme include attic insulation, cavity wall insulation, draught proofing the home, CFL Lighting and provision of lagging jackets. Homes that receive the full suite of available measures under the current scheme will have the potential to achieve energy savings of up to 40%. There is currently no cost for any of the measures within the scheme.

Contact Scheme:  Waterford Area Partnership can answer any queries and will register suitable participants by calling:
(051) 841740

For further information about the Warmer Homes Scheme please look at the Better Energy Homes Scheme file.

Warmer Homes Scheme (Adobe.pdf, 553 kbs)

  Annevally Fuels Supplies, processor and supplier of wood chip and wood blocks, to the general public of Waterford. Owners of a demonstrative sustainable energy Farm of a carbon Neutral Farm.

Commerical Biomass Boiler Installations The following buildings owners received grant funding from SEAI, to part cover the cost for commerical wood pellet / chip boilers which provided heat for central heating and hot water usage. 1) Saint Josephs Hospital, Dungarvan (Wood Pellet), 2) MJ Curran Dungarvan (wood chip), 3) Edmund Rice, International Hertitage Centre, Glen Ribben Organics, J Murphy, Nursing Home Cappoquin  and Mount Mellerary Abbey. The wood chip used in these boilers is sourced locally and the wood pellets are produced within the south east of Ireland.

Commerical Solar Water Heating Installations; The following building owners received grant funding from SEAI, to part cover the cost for solar water heating installations. Many other businesses or retail units such have installed forms of renewable technology that has meets the heating and hot water requirement of the buildings. 




Wind Farms in Waterford; The first commercial wind farm in Waterford became operational a number of years and is located near Portlaw, Co. Waterford. The Project was developed by Tornado Electrical and has a capacity of 1.6 Mega atts which includes two 800 Kilo Watt turbines. The electricity generated from the wind farm is exported to the national grid at a local substation and the capacity of electricity generated is sufficient to meet the electricity demand of between 3000 – 4000 energy efficient houses and is exported.


Tramore Transition Town Group (T3) was formed in 2008 and is part network of transitions towns throughout Europe. The sustainable energy function of the network is to build up resilience and develop the capacity within the community to prepare for the transition away from dependence on fossil fuels to a safe and sustainable future. Further aspects and objectives of the Tramore T3 Group can be found by visiting their WEB site at http://www.t3.ie.
   
Mahon Hydro Scheme
Mahon Hydro Scheme was funded by Leader+.  It operates only when the river flow is sufficient by abstracting some of the natural flow of the river when the flow exceeds a specific threshold. When this threshold is exceeded the amount extracted is constant. A weir achieves the division in the flow and the abstracted water is fed into a buried pipeline which supplies the turbines.

Mahon Hydro scheme makes use of the elevated location of the river in the Comeragh Mountains. Here the river has a lower volume than it would downstream and due to height it is falling from it has increased pressure. This means cheaper pipelines, turbines and machinery can be used compared to development of a larger river with lower gradient.