Tag: ESB

Dublin City Council launches new Electric Waste Vehicles

Dublin City Council has launched the first of 30 new electric vehicles to be used by the Waste Management section.

The launch took place on the forecourt of the Mansion House.

The new vehicles are the first Fully Electric Cage Body Vehicles to be used by the Waste Management section and will be rolled out throughout the year.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Ray McAdam, said, “If Dublin is serious about climate action, it must start with how the city itself operates. These new electric waste vehicles are a clear signal that the capital is leading by example, cutting emissions while carrying out the essential work that keeps our streets clean. They will help us build an even cleaner Dublin that we can all celebrate together.”

Dublin is one of 112 cities selected under the EU Mission 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, a pioneering initiative designed to accelerate systems change and deliver climate neutrality by 2030.

In line with national requirements, Dublin City Council’s Climate Action Plan contributes to:

  • A 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (compared to 2018 levels)
  • Climate neutrality before 2050, at the latest

Climate Neutral Dublin 2030 responds directly to these commitments with a comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CAP) and associated Investment Plan that sets a clear roadmap for transformative change across the city.

However, the Council emphasises that delivering on these targets requires more than policy, it demands whole-of-society behavioural change. Sustainable choices must become the easiest and most convenient options for residents, workers, and visitors alike.

To make inroads into our targets we are delighted to showcase our brand new Fully Electric Cage Body Vehicles from our Waste Management section. Not only does the Waste Management section keep Dublin physically clean, the vehicles they are using improve the environment by using electric vehicles as part of the operation! Over 50 Waste Management Drivers have already been trained to use these new zero emission vehicles.

Dublin City Council will continue to work with the Department of Transport Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland office to identify funding streams and capacity building measures to support the transition and facilitate the installation of Electric Vehicle chargers.

Dublin City Council will work closely with the ESB and other stakeholders to enable and facilitate an increase in the number of EV charge points across the city.

SIRO Launches Broadband Product For Property Developers

Wholesale broadband operator SIRO has announced it is launching a bespoke broadband product  created for developers building new homes across Ireland. SIRO’s new product, OpenPort, will streamline the delivery of fibre broadband services to housing developments by instead providing a shared access broadband infrastructure onsite. This will avoid, as currently occurs, the costly over duplication of telecom infrastructures amongst multiple operators seeking to provide services to new housing estates.

Under forthcoming regulations, the Gigabit Infrastructure Act which will take effect in Ireland from February 2026, developers are required to provide a fibre broadband infrastructure onsite which is accessible to multiple telecoms network operators.

SIRO’s new product, OpenPort, responds to this requirement by providing developers with a shared access fibre broadband service for their new developments, which will be compliant with these regulations.

Currently, to enable multiple operators serve a housing development, developers have been required to accommodate multiple broadband infrastructures onsite.

The negative impact of this method of rolling out fibre broadband in new developments has been the unnecessary duplication of broadband infrastructure onsite. This can lead to not only excessive expenditure, but also the avoidable use of limited site space to facilitate these multiple infrastructures.

With SIRO’s OpenPort, developers will still be able to accommodate multiple fibre broadband operators on their developments but with the advantage of using a single network infrastructure, substantially reducing the cost of deploying fibre broadband networks to new homes across the country. A developer moving to SIRO’s OpenPort product will also enjoy environmental benefits by reducing the construction works needed to facilitate fibre broadband rollouts.

For homeowners and tenants, they will continue to enjoy choice and competition by maintaining access to multiple telecoms retailers.

SIRO has announced that its first OpenPort new development site will be at Monaleen in Limerick city. The development, known as The Orchard, is being constructed by one of Ireland’s leading developers, Homeland, and will see 131 new homes constructed at the site. These homes are expected have first occupancy by Spring 2026.

With Homeland Group’s The Orchard development, the first new development to adopt OpenPort, SIRO has confirmed that the product will be available to all developers from 2026 onwards.

Commenting on OpenPort, SIRO CEO John Keaney said: “Delivering fast and future proofed fibre broadband infrastructure and services to new homes is a small but essential part of the construction of new homes overall. A high-quality fibre to the home broadband connection is now a non-negotiable for all homes, supporting how we now live and work.

 “Like all the component parts of developing new homes, rolling out fibre broadband infrastructure comes at a cost – environmental, financial, resource and time – to broadband operators, developers and consumers.”

 “Initiatives, like OpenPort, which can streamline the delivery process, reduce the timelines, and maintain efficiency and effectiveness of building fibre broadband network in new developments are key. By reducing overduplication of broadband networks on new development sites, SIRO’s OpenPort will also give back much needed site space to developers and provide wider sustainability benefits.

 “SIRO is excited to bring this product to market for developers from next year. We have already had incredibly positive feedback from key stakeholders in the construction industry who understand the benefits it can offer,” added Mr. Keaney.

 Homeland Construction Director Mike Quaid added:

“Homeland has worked with SIRO to deliver fibre broadband to our new homes across the country for several years now. The construction industry is constantly challenged to innovate, build more sustainability and efficiently, whilst maintaining affordability for home buyers. In terms of delivering fast, reliable and future proofed full fibre broadband for our home buyers and tenants, we see the huge potential of SIRO’s OpenPort to meet these objectives.”

SIRO is a wholesale network operator, rolling out a fibre to the premise network across Ireland now available to almost 700,000 premises in 143 cities and towns. It network is built on the ESB’s existing electricity network, utilising both its overhead and underground ducting infrastructure.

ABP Clones reduces carbon emissions by 80%

ABP, one of Europe’s leading food processors, has partnered with ESB to reduce carbon emissions at its Clones site by 80% with the installation of an innovative, state-of-the-art water heating system.

A reduction of 80% in carbon emissions equates to approximately 1,692 tons of CO2, which is the same as the emissions from 627,032 litres of diesel, or 268 homes oil usage for one year.

The heating system recycles the lost heat generated by refrigeration units, using it to heat the water used for cleaning, processing and hygiene on site. The result is that only a small amount of water needs to be heated using a smaller new and efficient gas boiler. The heating system principle is similar to the air to water heat pump system used in domestic homes; however, this system boosts waste heat instead of air.

The project forms part of ABP’s overall sustainability strategy and is part of an extensive decarbonisation plan that aims to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% from 2021 to 2030 across all ABP sites in Ireland, UK and Europe. This is a significant step in successfully reaching these targets which have been officially validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

ABP is continually adopting measures to reduce its carbon footprint and improve its sustainable approach. The company’s sustainability strategy is ‘’Doing More with Less’’, which is closely aligned to the UN Sustainable Goals. This strategy runs through every aspect of ABP’s supply chain, from farms to processing sites and the end consumer. The decoupling of resource usage and productivity being a key feature.

Kevin Cahill,  Managing Director, ABP Ireland & Poland said; ‘’This is a very exciting innovative project for ABP and an important step in our drive for greater sustainability. This is a pilot project at the Clones site, we are in the process of replicating it at another of our facilities. This will result in an enormous reduction in the carbon footprint and go a long way to achieving our carbon reduction targets as set out by the Science Based Targets initiative.’’

“This project is a significant milestone in our mission to support businesses in achieving their sustainability goals,” said Ciaran Gallagher, Head of Smart Energy Services at ESB. “By partnering with ABP, we will demonstrate the transformative impact of advanced heat pump technology on reducing carbon footprints and enhancing energy efficiency. Our collaboration underscores the critical role of innovative solutions in driving progress towards Net Zero targets. As leaders in smarter energy solutions, we look forward to continuing our work with ABP and other forward-thinking companies to replicate this success across more facilities, paving the way for a more sustainable industrial sector.”

ABP has a long track record in developing sustainability initiatives and environmentally friendly policies. The company is a founding member of the Plastics Action Alliance (PAA), improving sustainability in plastic packaging supply chains. ABP’s Plastics Policy ensures that all plastic packaging used by ABP must be designed to reduce environmental impact and maximises recyclability.

ABP has planted over 40,000 trees since 2020 and aims to reach a target of 100,000 trees planted by 2030. The company also has an extensive waste management strategy across all its locations, which saw it successfully reduce the amount of cardboard packaging it uses annually by 800 tonnes since 2021.

Microsoft announces pioneering green hydrogen pilot project with ESB

Microsoft announced today that it has entered into an agreement with ESB that will see its data centre power control and administration building in Dublin be powered by zero emissions green hydrogen power. The landmark pilot project is the first time that Hydrogen Fuel Cells will be used to provide electricity to a Microsoft data centre in Europe, supplying up to 250kW of clean energy to Microsoft’s Dublin campus over an eight-week period.

ESB’s zero-emission Hydrogen Fuel Cells convert stored green hydrogen to electricity, with the only by-product being pure water. Designed to replace diesel generators, Hydrogen Fuel Cells produce no carbon emissions or harmful local air pollutants such as particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, which can have significant health and environmental impacts.

The groundbreaking pilot is part of a series planned by ESB in 2024 and 2025 to showcase the versatility of hydrogen fuel cell technology in different power applications.  The pilot is the first step in demonstrating the potential impact that hydrogen energy can have in helping to decarbonise the strategically important data centre sector in Ireland.

Commenting on the launch of the pilot, Eoin Doherty, Vice President, EMEA Regional Leader, Microsoft Cloud Operations + Innovation, said: “The green hydrogen project we’re launching with ESB is a pioneering first for Microsoft in Europe, demonstrating how zero-emissions hydrogen can be harnessed to power our digital lives. If scaled successfully, it could provide new ways of advancing sustainability in our sector and beyond.”

Lavinia Morris, General Manager, Microsoft’s EMEA Data Centre Operations, commented further: “This pilot project is another important step in our journey to transition to carbon-free electricity supply for our data centres, buildings, and campuses around the world. As we look to advance a more sustainable future, we hope to build on the success of this pilot project and continue to find innovative ways to decarbonise our operations.”

Jim Dollard, ESB Executive Director, Generation and Trading, commented: “ESB believe green hydrogen will play an important role in the net zero energy system of the future. We’re delighted to be working with Microsoft on this innovative pilot project that will showcase the potential for green hydrogen as part of zero emission electricity generation for data centres.” 

Microsoft’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell pilot project, in collaboration with ESB, is aligned with the ‘Principles for Sustainable Data Centre Development’ set out by Government in its 2022 policy statement by supporting the development of data centres that make efficient use of the electricity grid and delivering renewable energy.

Today’s announcement to harness green hydrogen is one of many steps and innovations that Microsoft is bringing to the data centre sector to ensure the sustainability of its existing and future cloud and AI infrastructure. In 2020, Microsoft announced an ambitious set of goals, encompassing all global infrastructure and operations, to be a carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste company that protect ecosystems by 2030.

As well as investing in innovative technologies, Microsoft is playing a key role in helping to decarbonise the electricity grid. In November 2022, Microsoft announced new renewable energy contracts related to the development of more than 900 megawatts of onshore wind and solar energy projects in Ireland alone. The projects will see Microsoft significantly contribute to the Irish Government’s 2030 corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) target.

This pilot project also builds upon Microsoft’s ongoing testing and innovation in the area of hydrogen power, more of which is detailed here.

ESB ecars announces price decreases of up to 13% for tariffs across its EV charging network

ESB ecars has today announced a planned price decrease across its public EV charging network in the Republic of Ireland, which will be effective from Friday, 21st June. This will see unit rates for High-Power (200kW) chargers reduce by 13%, Fast chargers reduce by 12% and Standard chargers reduce by 8%.

Contactless payments will also be available on High-Power Chargers from the end of this week.

The existing one-off overstay fee of €8 has been replaced by a more progressive, incremental fee to further encourage drivers to free up charge points for other drivers when finished charging.

ESB’s most recent customer survey found that 76% of respondents support the overstay fee. The new overstay fee structure is 50c/min and kicks in after 45 minutes on High-Power and Fast chargers and after 10 hours on Standard chargers.

Commenting on the price reduction, John Byrne, Head of eMobility at ESB, said: “We are pleased to announce a reduction of prices across our extensive EV public charging network.

We are lowering our prices following reductions in wholesale energy costs while continuing to upgrade and improve our charging infrastructure across the country. We keep our prices under constant review and are committed to providing value to our customers with competitive prices.”

To ensure customers are notified of when overstay fees would apply, ESB is encouraging all drivers to turn on notifications on the ESB ecar connect app. Customers will receive push notifications as a reminder about the overstay fee when they start their charge.

ESB has installed 42 multi-vehicle, high-power charging hubs nationwide over the past two years and replaced over 300 chargers to increase the speed and capacity of the charging network.

ESB now has over 1,600 public charge points in place across the country with an average reliability rate of 98%.

For more information, visit esb.ie/ecars

Over 500 projects registered for ESB Science Blast at the RDS Simmonscourt, 4-7 March 2024

Primary school children from all over Ireland will take part in ESB Science Blast, the RDS’s flagship Science and Technology programme, asking questions about climate change, biodiversity and the impact of fast fashion on the planet!

ESB Science Blast will take place in Dublin in RDS Simmonscourt for four days, from Monday 4th March and finish with a lá speisialta do Ghaelscoileanna agus do scoileanna Ghaeltachta on 7ú Márta, 2024.

The event starts at 10.30am each day.

One of the largest science education programmes of its kind, ESB Science Blast is a free and hands-on way to engage young learners with STEM, specifically designed for primary school and delivered by the RDS Foundation through its Science and Technology Programme. It involves the whole class investigating the science behind a simple question and then showcasing their work at the event with support and feedback from a STEM expert.

Ørsted secures solar and wind renewable energy contracts under Irish RESS 3 auction

Ørsted has secured two contracts in the Irish Government’s third onshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS 3) auction. The approved Ørsted projects were the 81 MW Garreenleen Solar Farm in Carlow, and the 43.2 MW Farranrory Onshore Wind Farm in Tipperary. 

Commenting on the provisional results of the RESS 3 auction, Kieran White, Senior Vice President of Onshore in Region Europe at Ørsted, said: “With a combined output of 124 MW, these projects will assist in driving down the cost of electricity compared to fossil fuel generation and contribute to Ireland’s overall energy independence while meeting our value creation targets. We expect to deliver the projects before 2030 within the RESS 3 timelines.”  

 A total of 24 onshore wind and solar projects, including Ørsted’s two projects, cleared in the RESS 3 auction at an average strike price of EUR 100.47 per MWh.

Ørsted’s Irish headquarters are based in Cork City, where it employs over 100 people. Ørsted currently operates 378 MW of onshore wind across the island of Ireland, producing enough power for over 230,000 homes. Ørsted recently announced a partnership with ESB to jointly develop an Irish offshore wind portfolio and a partnership with Terra Solar to develop 400MW of solar energy.  

Ranked as one of the world’s most sustainable energy companies, Ørsted has over 5.7 GW of onshore renewables in operation, under construction or consented across the United States and Europe.  

ESB Networks and Sigma Wireless deploy national 4G/LTE private mobile network with Nokia in Ireland

Nokia and Sigma Wireless Communications today announced that ESB Networks, Ireland’s foremost energy company, has awarded a contract to Sigma Wireless and its partner Nokia for the development of a leading-edge, mission-critical private mobile network. Nokia will work with Sigma Wireless Communications and ESB to supply and install the new LTE-based private wireless system over a three-year period

This purpose-built, mission-critical telecommunications network is a key enabler for ESB Networks in delivering integration of renewable energy to the grid, decarbonization of the electrical network and electrification of heat and transport amongst other benefits. A dedicated Smart Grid telecoms network forms part of ESB Networks’ Innovation Strategy that aims to bring many benefits to Ireland from an environmental, economic and customer perspective.

Nicholas Tarrant, ESB Networks Managing Director, welcomed the development: “An ever smarter and agile electricity network is key to the delivery of a more sustainable future, with the customer at its core. The purpose-built private telecommunications network now being developed will be a key enabler in delivering integration of renewable energy to the grid, decarbonization of the electricity network and the electrification of heat and transport amongst other benefits. As such, this private, reliable, and secure mobile network will be an indispensable precursor to delivering a Net Zero-ready electricity network.”

Tony Boyle Chairman Sigma Wireless said “Sigma Wireless has a long history spanning back over 30 years working with ESB. We are delighted to be awarded this contract, partnering with NOKIA, to be trusted to provide this state-of-the-art network which is a key enabler to help ESB to achieve its key strategic goals of decarbonization and renewable energy. “

Phil Siveter, UK & Ireland CEO at Nokia said, “Enabling the decarbonizing of energy grids while ensuring resilient critical infrastructure is an opportunity that we are helping customers address across the world.  We are delighted that ESB Networks and Sigma Wireless entrust Nokia to deploy private LTE infrastructure running over their converged IP/MPLS backhaul network for critical grid communications to support the modernization and digitization of the energy grid throughout the Republic of Ireland.”

IEVA writes to eCARS and Minister Ryan TD concerned at the “Unreasonable High Cost of DC Fast Charging”

The Irish Electric Vehicle Association [IEVA] has written to John Byrne, head of ESB eCARS, asking that the cost of DC Fast Charging at eCARS be reduced immediately to pre-Ukraine-war levels.  Eamon Stack, CEO said, “Our members were shocked at the over 100% cost increase last year and even more upset at the failure to reduce the cost now.  Our charges are among the highest in Europe.”

We believe the maintenance of this high cost is unreasonable for four reasons:

1. A substantial % of the power in the National grid is generated by wind, whose base cost did not increase with the tragic Ukraine war.   The State is the major stakeholder of the ESB group and can distribute their substantial dividends to balance this injustice;

2. The speed with which eCARS increased the cost of charging, with the increase in the wholesale gas market, was not matched with an equivalent decrease when the wholesale price of gas market dropped. The wholesale price of electricity dropped 13.5% in April alone;

3. We strongly believe the increased cost will slow down the adoption of EVs which is contrary to Government strategy.  eCARS prices are comparable with some commercial providers, significantly higher than Tesla [€0.47], yet their service is primarily funded by the State. The high cost is being used by EV detractors to undermine the transition;

4. To add insult to injury, the quality of the current enroute charging service does not  match the high cost.  There are too few chargepoints, too many out-of-service, and too slow – charge speeds often below 50kW rate.

For these four reasons, the CEO continued: “the IEVA membership strongly encourages eCARS to reduce prices immediately to pre-Ukraine war levels. This action, we believe, will encourage other chargepoint providers to also reduce their prices.”

We have also written to Minister Eamon Ryan TD, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport.  We believe he needs to act on behalf of the major stakeholder at ESB Group to rectify the situation.