Clooney-Spancilhill to create Community Energy Plan
January 25, 2021
AN AMBITIOUS project to boost the production and use of renewable energy is being pioneered by the Clooney Spancilhill Community Development Association. The group is one of three in Clare to enter a partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) with a view to creating an energy masterplan for the area. The blueprint will also offer potential to generate revenue for the area and will draw inspiration from a highly successful community of Templederry, outside Nenagh, who are now raising €1.1m annual for their locality.
“We set up a steering group on the environment,” outlined Tom Larkin, Chairperson of the association. “That lead us to applying to the SEAI for funding. We succeeded in securing €10,000 and that involves us signing a three-year agreement with SEAI. We have mentoring from SEAI and Clare Local Development Company (CLDC).”
Covid has clobbered the motor trade, with new car sales down 26pc in 2020. With dealerships closed once again the outlook for 2021 remains uncertain.
With most of us having spent the last nine months under virtual house arrest, new car sales took a hammering in 2020 - only 84,300 units were shifted, down over a quarter on the 113,300 sold in 2019. Second-hand imports fell even more sharply in 2020, down by 28pc to 78,500.
The Irish motor trade won t forget 2020 in a hurry. Since the first lockdown in March dealerships have endured repeated closures. On its own this would have been traumatic enough but it was happening at the same time as Brexit is upending the second-hand car trade - almost half of all the cars registered for the first time in 2020, 48pc, were used imports from the UK.
An Irish wind energy developer linked to EMPower has plans to develop a €54.9m wind farm in Shronowen, Co Kerry, a project which could create more than 100 new jobs.
Shronowen Wind Farm Limited posted its intention to apply for 10-year planning permission to An Bord Pleanála last week. Shronowen Wind Farm Limited shares directors with EMPower and has a website hosted by the company.
According to the website, Shronowen wind farm will involve a €54.9m investment in Irish renewable energy.
Direct corporate tax earnings for the Irish Government are estimated to exceed €21.7m over the project lifetime, and may contribute €9.1m in county council rates.
Updated / Thursday, 14 Jan 2021
17:23
Free Now says 68% of its Irish drivers are unsure about making the switch to an electric vehicle
A taxi firm is to invest €6 million to assist drivers to install home chargers for electric vehicles.
Free Now says the move will help drivers to make the switch to EVs.
The company has also urged the Government to do more to support people to invest in greener vehicles, which it says is crucial if Ireland is to meet its emissions targets .
Free Now says its data shows that Ireland has the lowest share of new cars (only 16% of cars registered after 2015 vs 63% in average across other markets) in all of the 11 countries where it operates.
Deep retrofit and stimulus
With governments across Europe looking for ways to jump start their economies following the early impact of Covid-19, attention is increasingly turning to deep retrofit. But while there is strong evidence that deep retrofit could play a major role, the devil will be in the detail – and the challenge of dramatically upscaling a nascent industry shouldn’t be underestimated.
This article was originally published in issue 34 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €10, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge