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  1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:blogger="http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802492012913709152</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 10:28:15 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>History and Heritage</category><category>Legislation</category><category>Politics</category><category>Hydrometric Studies</category><title>MicroHydro.ie</title><description>Developing small scale domestic and&#xa;commercial hydropower resources&#xa;in Ireland in a sustainable and&#xa;environmentally sensitive way.</description><link>http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (MicroHydro)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>5</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802492012913709152.post-696433898204958645</guid><pubDate>Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:33:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-03-09T00:44:30.089+00:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">History and Heritage</category><title>Imagining Cormac&#39;s Mill,</title><description>&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;What might Ireland&#39;s first Mill have looked like?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  2. &lt;br /&gt;
  3. &lt;br /&gt;
  4. &lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  5. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6KRmx1JwaxOdhlJgMU7WPo0ej4Kzm-hBfi76zWqtvClts3nxskzuhd6FRdWxXIbNEjGyro1kVn_07VA3G5v-1SiePD_4Q6gJryCVp1luRWB0zeDuomrfBBhWf-TfzAxH7pnTcNboUTk/s1600/TaraImage.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;26&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;192&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6KRmx1JwaxOdhlJgMU7WPo0ej4Kzm-hBfi76zWqtvClts3nxskzuhd6FRdWxXIbNEjGyro1kVn_07VA3G5v-1SiePD_4Q6gJryCVp1luRWB0zeDuomrfBBhWf-TfzAxH7pnTcNboUTk/s320/TaraImage.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  6. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;The Hill of Tara&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  7. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;In a &lt;a href=&quot;http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/2011/02/cormacs-mill-at-tara-275ad.html&quot; linkindex=&quot;27&quot;&gt;previous article&lt;/a&gt; we explored the very real possibility that Cormac&#39;s Mill, reputedly the first mill in Ireland, was located on the slopes of the Hill of Tara.&lt;br /&gt;
  8. &lt;br /&gt;
  9. The Mill was constructed in the 3rd Century at the request of Cormac Mac Airt, King of Tara, and I believe it was located at a site beside Tara Hall at the place where the Nith stream descends into the Nith Glen.&amp;nbsp; The evidence from the historical documents certainly suggests this, but is it possible? Was the site suitable for a mill?&amp;nbsp; What would it have looked like and how would it have operated?&lt;br /&gt;
  10. &lt;br /&gt;
  11. In order to explore these questions we first have to look at the milling technology of the early Medieval period.&amp;nbsp; In their book &lt;i&gt;&#39;A New History of Ireland, Prehistoric and early Ireland&#39;&lt;/i&gt;,&amp;nbsp;Dáibhí Ó Cróinín and Theodore William Moody set out the milling technology that was becoming common in Ireland by the 6th and 7th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
  12. &lt;br /&gt;
  13. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  14. &lt;br /&gt;
  15. &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  16. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRHZhSUVX6yM2Naj4sIg0mHgJ4RJ0gLFCyeH28j1tZsXwl3us016lFt62S1oJ6ubFKS32aZz8yCKVhn4PhBdb9jr43WT-auE6aznzimVBfl6Ft1JaL6uqth0ETSIftJuQIJ7n-n7r-BA/s1600/History+of+Milling2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;28&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;268&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRHZhSUVX6yM2Naj4sIg0mHgJ4RJ0gLFCyeH28j1tZsXwl3us016lFt62S1oJ6ubFKS32aZz8yCKVhn4PhBdb9jr43WT-auE6aznzimVBfl6Ft1JaL6uqth0ETSIftJuQIJ7n-n7r-BA/s400/History+of+Milling2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  17. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Figure (i). A description of the early medieval horizontal millwheel.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  18. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  19. These early mills were operated by impounding a stream or spring with a dam and releasing the water down a flume to turn the mill wheel that directly turned the mill stone.&amp;nbsp; I&#39;ve made a sketch of the arrangement, &lt;i&gt;Fig (ii)&lt;/i&gt;.&amp;nbsp; It&#39;s interesting to note that these wheels were remarkably similar to modern day Turgo wheels, and later developments in horizontal millwheels refined the principle even further.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  20. &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  21. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUxWerCgA2Q7GbCzl0lK5s5RQHSkKyHkdNdmggcUR-99DF45wxVJq1icsVcW7cShmCrkIkDfoouDPkDANa1GcyFwwMjObJjBci2WccE2E0rKlLzOe4il30uw5aVJbYFsaMIg0axr3Drc/s1600/Cormac%2527s+Mill+diagram1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;29&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUxWerCgA2Q7GbCzl0lK5s5RQHSkKyHkdNdmggcUR-99DF45wxVJq1icsVcW7cShmCrkIkDfoouDPkDANa1GcyFwwMjObJjBci2WccE2E0rKlLzOe4il30uw5aVJbYFsaMIg0axr3Drc/s400/Cormac%2527s+Mill+diagram1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;375&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  22. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Figure (ii). Horizontal Waterwheel.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  23. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  24. There is a wonderful description of the eight parts of the horizontal mill in PV Wright&#39;s book &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924026124440#page/n349/mode/2up&quot; linkindex=&quot;30&quot;&gt;&#39;A Social History of Ancient Ireland&#39;&lt;/a&gt;, pg 335, and also an illustration of how established the technology had become by the way in which the Brehon Laws were written to facilitate their construction,&amp;nbsp; safeguard the investment and to protect the workers from injury.&lt;br /&gt;
  25. &lt;br /&gt;
  26. To date, the earliest horizontal mill found in Ireland has been dated to circa 630 AD, about 250 years after Cormac&#39;s Mill.&amp;nbsp; Is it really possible that the technology was in use so much earlier?&amp;nbsp; Given that the horizontal waterwheel had been described in Greek texts in the 1st Century BC it is entirely probable that the technology reached Ireland long before the 6th Century.&lt;br /&gt;
  27. &lt;br /&gt;
  28. So, if Cormac&#39;s Mill was located at Tara Hall, how would it have operated? &amp;nbsp; How much of a resource was available, and how much was required?&amp;nbsp; Please suspend your disbelief while we make a long string of assumptions!&lt;br /&gt;
  29. &lt;br /&gt;
  30. First we&#39;ll make some assumptions about how much power was required to operate the Mill.&amp;nbsp; Two horsepower (HP) would have been sufficient to spin the millstone, and with an efficiency of 50% and a head of 3.5m, the mill would have required a flow of 100 litres/second.&lt;br /&gt;
  31. &lt;br /&gt;
  32. It&#39;s difficult to know precisely what the climate was like at the time, but it is probably fair enough to assume it was broadly similar to today.&amp;nbsp; For the sake of this examination we&#39;ll assume an annual rainfall of 935mm across the catchment and an evapotranspiation loss of 55%.&lt;br /&gt;
  33. &lt;br /&gt;
  34. The catchment of the Nith Stream is quite small at Tara Hall (1.6km²), but there are a number of significant springs that are fed from the aquifer beneath.&amp;nbsp; It&#39;s impossible to know how much these springs contribute to the flow without gauging them, but it is worth noting that the early historic texts say that the spring &#39;Nemhnach&#39; supplied the water for the mill.&amp;nbsp; While it is very unlikely that the spring alone supplied enough water for the mill, this reference does strongly point towards the mill operating with a mill pond, as was typical of most early medieval mills.&amp;nbsp; We&#39;ll assume a constant contributory flow of 4 litres per second from all the springs in the catchment.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  35. &lt;br /&gt;
  36. Having constructed a flow duration curve for the Nith Stream and assuming a large mill pond capable of holding 4000m&lt;span id=&quot;intelliTXT&quot;&gt;³&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span class=&quot;indent50px&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;of water (2 acres, 50cm deep), we can now construct a statistical graph to illustrate just how many hours of milling might have been possible at this site per day.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  37. &lt;br /&gt;
  38. &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  39. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCdmmmyN_6-NJx4utkyPme9w4IrBpHVnK6ynGiuFdr17QOo7Jf_JCXODj9bTQQ-Qfj5YuQsR5nT0Lz_P3X-ulgVRwbQEvpVh_TXDQ03ZWgzsC7cvfhyphenhyphenbvdjKYht6QzdhyphenhyphenzhzOMl-BcY8/s1600/TaraChart.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;31&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;181&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCdmmmyN_6-NJx4utkyPme9w4IrBpHVnK6ynGiuFdr17QOo7Jf_JCXODj9bTQQ-Qfj5YuQsR5nT0Lz_P3X-ulgVRwbQEvpVh_TXDQ03ZWgzsC7cvfhyphenhyphenbvdjKYht6QzdhyphenhyphenzhzOMl-BcY8/s400/TaraChart.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  40. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fig (iii).&amp;nbsp; Assumed hours of production.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  41. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  42. The chart in &lt;i&gt;Fig (iii) &lt;/i&gt;is in the form of a duration curve and can be read as showing how many days of a given production &lt;i&gt;or more&lt;/i&gt; may have been possible for the mill.&amp;nbsp; For example; for 164 days of the year 5 hours &lt;i&gt;or more&lt;/i&gt; of constant milling was possible.&amp;nbsp; It can also be read as showing that for&amp;nbsp; 201 days (365-164), &lt;i&gt;no more&lt;/i&gt; than 5 hours of milling was possible per day.&lt;br /&gt;
  43. &lt;br /&gt;
  44. I think the assumptions I have made are realistic enough not to render my argument worthless, and I hope I have raised the possibility that Cormac&#39;s Mill was located on the Nith Stream at Tara Hall, and that it was a very early Horizontal Millwheel.&amp;nbsp; Clearly there was enough flow in the stream to fill a mill pond and supply enough power to operate the mill.&lt;br /&gt;
  45. &lt;br /&gt;
  46. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I&#39;ll develop this section as I get a chance to research the topic further.&amp;nbsp; If you are curious about the potential for Hydropower at any location in the country, why not check out the site survey at &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.microhydro.ie/&quot; linkindex=&quot;32&quot;&gt;MicroHydro.ie&lt;/a&gt;?&amp;nbsp; It&#39;s a free service.</description><link>http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/2011/03/imagining-cormacs-mill.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (MicroHydro)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6KRmx1JwaxOdhlJgMU7WPo0ej4Kzm-hBfi76zWqtvClts3nxskzuhd6FRdWxXIbNEjGyro1kVn_07VA3G5v-1SiePD_4Q6gJryCVp1luRWB0zeDuomrfBBhWf-TfzAxH7pnTcNboUTk/s72-c/TaraImage.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802492012913709152.post-6462951805190312901</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:59:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-03-07T11:02:14.623+00:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Legislation</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Politics</category><title>Renewable Energy and the Program for Government</title><description>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq6WKEt2csVNvPdDY4C4-W4RFgASVaNAVoXUvfoGnLKEj4bywvGwD9mPJa6IqpH8y_LRCDBOuqGNtN2grJLkeFbY6SGqGq-aGRxtUtmxALg26fYgJ7SU8SYUgGSTPgqShsDg7vrKuERU/s1600/ProgGov4.png&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;24&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;101&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq6WKEt2csVNvPdDY4C4-W4RFgASVaNAVoXUvfoGnLKEj4bywvGwD9mPJa6IqpH8y_LRCDBOuqGNtN2grJLkeFbY6SGqGq-aGRxtUtmxALg26fYgJ7SU8SYUgGSTPgqShsDg7vrKuERU/s200/ProgGov4.png&quot; width=&quot;200&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;The votes are cast, the counting has been completed, and Fine Gael and Labour have emerged as not only the two largest parties, but also coalition partners to form the government of the 31st Dáil.&amp;nbsp; The Green Party, champions of alternative energy and sustainability, were completely obliterated and Fianna Fail lost the vast majority of their seats.&lt;br /&gt;
  47. &lt;br /&gt;
  48. While there has been some scepticism that Fine Gael and Labour were capable of bridging their ideological differences to form a government, after much negotiation a program for government has been produced.&amp;nbsp; Styled as the &#39;Government for National Recovery&#39; they have set out the policies that they will pursue in the years ahead as they attempt to steer the country out of the mire of broken banks, a collapsed property market, widespread unemployment and emigration, and the shackles of a punitive EU/IMF deal that has ensured that taxpayers will pay for the gambling losses of international bondholders.&amp;nbsp; Not an easy road ahead.&lt;br /&gt;
  49. &lt;br /&gt;
  50. But how does the Program of Government stand up against the election manifesto promises?&amp;nbsp; Lets have a closer look at what the new coalition intend to do to encourage renewable energy and micro-generation.&lt;br /&gt;
  51. &lt;br /&gt;
  52. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  53. &lt;br /&gt;
  54. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQcmN-cThx1RRObLoGO-HXBVZxrHGEK_-eSQxfno70R-QsDDd2sapdMty9iY0fqWOb_8O261lqhL8UPOnXQOn2EiHJ6kbPEx329Cmwrb-Dkk2csjmdgRNz7Qzj1lD_cqxfRxUq7b_kyg/s1600/ProgGov1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;25&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;261&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQcmN-cThx1RRObLoGO-HXBVZxrHGEK_-eSQxfno70R-QsDDd2sapdMty9iY0fqWOb_8O261lqhL8UPOnXQOn2EiHJ6kbPEx329Cmwrb-Dkk2csjmdgRNz7Qzj1lD_cqxfRxUq7b_kyg/s400/ProgGov1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  55. Very little positive there really.&amp;nbsp; &#39;Pay As You Save&#39; being used to replace State capital expenditure is an interesting idea, but ending funding for renewable energy programmes in 2013 seems like an odd one, particularly when existing programs aren&#39;t in any way extensive and there&#39;s no suggestion of anything to fill the void. &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  56. &lt;br /&gt;
  57. The &#39;National Strategic Investment Bank&#39; gets a mention, but the emphasis on directing it towards investing in renewable energy resources has been removed.&amp;nbsp; &#39;Smart Grid&#39; gets a run too, but it&#39;s not clear if the proposal is any more than a rationalisation of existing semi state companies.&lt;br /&gt;
  58. &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  59. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbS5vMIETrwo1hpjt92rGjoAOOclZ88JYUWf8Oxc7KKrUTISgTZI2UB5s4CcXvHURGbIzEROP6IbzdwfWSp5IA7rkX68gnAnvPUhs52UCSFYn604V0mWRZEdhBMmzdIVxdIBqHFcJQMo/s1600/ProgGov2.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;26&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;52&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbS5vMIETrwo1hpjt92rGjoAOOclZ88JYUWf8Oxc7KKrUTISgTZI2UB5s4CcXvHURGbIzEROP6IbzdwfWSp5IA7rkX68gnAnvPUhs52UCSFYn604V0mWRZEdhBMmzdIVxdIBqHFcJQMo/s400/ProgGov2.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  60. So what happened to all the promises of a &#39;Green Skills&#39; programme and supporting electric cars?&amp;nbsp; Not even a mention.&amp;nbsp; Geothermal is to be facilitated, but wind farms will be restricted to certain locations and densities.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  61. &lt;br /&gt;
  62. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdI_Emtl0wpdqRcnNcmRwfC39JnHk1-9qilNvwOL2xSMTst8vGnm2PyRfelq4TRjOIVrdeQyXodQ_aI9Dcd7Nj4tOGROnkCbcVyiPKESuDDE3KYJS1_EMGaEHy8IHiIemDo9_BiPzZlj8/s1600/ProgGov3.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;27&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdI_Emtl0wpdqRcnNcmRwfC39JnHk1-9qilNvwOL2xSMTst8vGnm2PyRfelq4TRjOIVrdeQyXodQ_aI9Dcd7Nj4tOGROnkCbcVyiPKESuDDE3KYJS1_EMGaEHy8IHiIemDo9_BiPzZlj8/s400/ProgGov3.jpg&quot; width=&quot;380&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;While a ReFIT for micro-generators would be welcome, it remains to be seen exactly what they propose by &#39;not significantly above&#39; the SEMO rate.&amp;nbsp; If the government is serious about promoting innovation in this sector and developing a vibrant renewable technology manufacturing hub, it is essential that incentives are given to stimulate investment in the domestic market.&lt;br /&gt;
  63. &lt;br /&gt;
  64. In conclusion, a disappointing Program for Government, but it remains to be seen how it is implemented, particularly as the reality of surging Oil and Gas prices is starting to bite.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  65. &lt;br /&gt;
  66. &lt;br /&gt;
  67. &lt;a href=&quot;http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/2011/02/renewable-energy-policy-who-to-vote-for.html#more&quot; linkindex=&quot;28&quot;&gt;Renewable Energy in the Election Manifestos&lt;/a&gt;</description><link>http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/2011/03/renewable-energy-and-program-for.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (MicroHydro)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeq6WKEt2csVNvPdDY4C4-W4RFgASVaNAVoXUvfoGnLKEj4bywvGwD9mPJa6IqpH8y_LRCDBOuqGNtN2grJLkeFbY6SGqGq-aGRxtUtmxALg26fYgJ7SU8SYUgGSTPgqShsDg7vrKuERU/s72-c/ProgGov4.png" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802492012913709152.post-9000431255422865068</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:33:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-02-17T00:20:54.412+00:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Legislation</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Politics</category><title>Renewable Energy Policy - Who to vote for?</title><description>&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8g06LUZSAKoUNl7_xlINvf1T493c2biV5BeDksoqa0JvynzJ9z6O8_fAWvmkxvhsBhg4mVXPyV3k2Hez8NbURNS2N8OVCMFpD1Bi5WAGLpTvO2OIia6RttLUvHk17IwxUa7yIHL2S3fI/s1600/Election1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;29&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8g06LUZSAKoUNl7_xlINvf1T493c2biV5BeDksoqa0JvynzJ9z6O8_fAWvmkxvhsBhg4mVXPyV3k2Hez8NbURNS2N8OVCMFpD1Bi5WAGLpTvO2OIia6RttLUvHk17IwxUa7yIHL2S3fI/s1600/Election1.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;The General Election is just over a week away and all the political parties are setting out their stalls to attract the electorate.&amp;nbsp; Lots of glossy documents outlining the problems, promising the solutions.&amp;nbsp; Plenty of vision and wisdom, -it&#39;s a wonder we&#39;re in the state we&#39;re in.&lt;br /&gt;
  68. &lt;br /&gt;
  69. All the political parties see the value of promoting renewable energy but some seem to be a bit more serious about it than others.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  70. &lt;br /&gt;
  71. So let&#39;s see what the various political parties have to say about what they&#39;ll do when they get their hands on the levers of power.&amp;nbsp; I&#39;ll present the parties in the order of their current popularity.&lt;br /&gt;
  72. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  73. &lt;br /&gt;
  74. &lt;br /&gt;
  75. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtfpvf_q4If5Tl5h0ZYEXGCJdqlVQaMAuPPaRSCOzfl0_MtgPTNsQvQB8598t6BCTJzLVHe2A14cURdMgDo_VAxEl-XmjcopmNz7SaHuzcuF7CpiirOQjPxQULYiKKqzQmivEI4sy4io/s1600/Fine+Gael.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;30&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNtfpvf_q4If5Tl5h0ZYEXGCJdqlVQaMAuPPaRSCOzfl0_MtgPTNsQvQB8598t6BCTJzLVHe2A14cURdMgDo_VAxEl-XmjcopmNz7SaHuzcuF7CpiirOQjPxQULYiKKqzQmivEI4sy4io/s1600/Fine+Gael.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Fine Gael have presented a document called &#39;NewERA&#39; where they set out an ambitious plan to restructure the &#39;Semi-State&#39; sector of&amp;nbsp; make better use of the assets of the State.&amp;nbsp; Some Semi State companies will be merged, others sold off, new ones created, -all with an aim to increase investment (€18 billion) in the Energy, Telecom and Water sectors, and to create 48,000 direct jobs, 58,000 indirect.&lt;br /&gt;
  76. &lt;br /&gt;
  77. &lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  78. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.leovaradkar.ie/wp-content/gallery/mugshot.jpg&quot; linkindex=&quot;31&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;http://www.leovaradkar.ie/wp-content/gallery/mugshot.jpg&quot; width=&quot;160&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  79. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;FG Spokesman Leo Vardakar&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  80. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;And where will the investment come from?&amp;nbsp; The sale of State assets, investment from the European Investment Bank, the Pension Reserve Fund, the public through the issuance of NewERA bonds, and €7 Billion diverted from the National Development Plan.&lt;br /&gt;
  81. &lt;br /&gt;
  82. And will it benefit small scale renewable energy generation?&amp;nbsp; Well, the core of the &#39;Energy&#39; section of the plan is the creation of &#39;Smart Grid&#39; and the plan to have more than 50% of our electricity to come from renewable rersources by 2020, and for Ireland to be a net exporter by 2030.&amp;nbsp; That sounds great, but is it realistic?&amp;nbsp; There&#39;s no mention of developing interconnectors with other energy markets, so I&#39;m not so sure.&lt;br /&gt;
  83. &lt;br /&gt;
  84. &lt;br /&gt;
  85. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;NewERA will establish a new State company, “&lt;b&gt;Smart Grid&lt;/b&gt;”, by merging ESB&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Networks and Eirgrid. Smart Grid will work towards three broad sets of targets:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  86. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;1.&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;To make Ireland a net exporter of energy by 2030 at the latest. By 2020, we&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  87. &lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;envisage Ireland producing well over 50% of its electricity from renewables;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  88. &lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  89. &lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;2.&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;To put in place a nationwide infrastructure that will allow 50% of cars to run&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  90. &lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;on electricity by 2025, with 100% running on electricity by 2030; and&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  91. &lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  92. &lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;3.&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;To protect Ireland from rising energy prices by getting more domestic&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  93. &lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;renewable energy sources connected to the grid as the price of oil rises.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  94. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraphCxSpLast&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  95. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Smart Grid&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt; will accelerate the construction of a new “smart energy grid”. This grid&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;will allow consumers to reduce energy bills through the installation of Smart Meters&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;in every home, and to sell their own home-produced energy to the network.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Smart Grid will, in addition, facilitate the rollout of greater renewable energy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;generation, which will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. It will also&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;enable the creation of a nation-wide infrastructure for electric cars, which should&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;significantly cut the costs of motoring over the longer term.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  96. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;As part of its overall economic strategy, Fine Gael proposes that a “&lt;b&gt;National&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Recovery Wholesale Bank (NRWB)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;” will be created. The NRWB will work closely&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;with NewERA and will provide funds to the utilities to allow them to start&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;retrofitting the 1.2 million houses with poor energy ratings. The NRWB will provide&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;the up front funds to the power utility companies, who will then subcontract the&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;work to construction companies. They will, in turn, install insulation and other&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;energy efficient fixtures in applicant houses. The money invested in the retrofit&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;programme will be recouped through “Pay as You Save” schemes, which will allow&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;consumers to pay back the costs of the retrofit over a number of years out of the&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092; line-height: 115%;&quot;&gt;fuel savings generated.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  97. Here&#39;s a link to the&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.finegael.org/upload/NewERA.pdf&quot; linkindex=&quot;32&quot;&gt; NewERA document.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  98. &lt;br /&gt;
  99. Words not mentioned - &#39;carbon tax&#39;, &#39;PSO levy&#39;, &#39;hydroelectrcity&#39;, &#39;microgeneration&#39; &lt;br /&gt;
  100. &lt;br /&gt;
  101. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;______________________________________&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  102. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  103. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnf7nOgotKfDki3cepTz7XQcZXgmieUh2Y41fUzfdpZDDFnLj2aaBda80wN8ChRGrrt0SwXiBMLbXqyLTG8ZD03kjvmgXpcpCpB4fe48TNUCt8tFACcA52LG4nXB6fkj-2WNsmVW9Lv9g/s1600/Labour.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;32&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnf7nOgotKfDki3cepTz7XQcZXgmieUh2Y41fUzfdpZDDFnLj2aaBda80wN8ChRGrrt0SwXiBMLbXqyLTG8ZD03kjvmgXpcpCpB4fe48TNUCt8tFACcA52LG4nXB6fkj-2WNsmVW9Lv9g/s1600/Labour.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;The Labour Party have produced a document called the &#39;Plan for Green Energy Jobs&#39; in which they set out the way (and need) to create an &#39;Energy Revolution&#39;.&amp;nbsp; It sets out the need for government to have a coherent plan and vision at the heart of it&#39;s energy policy, and it proposes the creation of a &#39;Coordinating Policy Office&#39; to ensure that this plan and vision is progressed.&lt;br /&gt;
  104. &lt;br /&gt;
  105. &lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  106. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.labour.ie/common/images/people_new/240x160_lizmcmanus.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;33&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;http://www.labour.ie/common/images/people_new/240x160_lizmcmanus.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  107. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Labour Spokesperson on Energy, Liz McManus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  108. &lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  109. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;While there is no grand investment plan, the document sets out the need to support the development of renewable energy with a more streamlined planning process, investment in the National Grid, interconnectors etc.&amp;nbsp; 80,000 jobs are projected, but a significant portion of those in retrofitting houses and other measures to improve energy efficiency.&amp;nbsp; The need to support micro-generation is acknowledged, but only in the context of supporting local communities.&amp;nbsp; No specific measures are outlined.&lt;br /&gt;
  110. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  111. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  112. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Labour recommends:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  113. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;The creation of a &lt;b&gt;Coordinating Policy Office&lt;/b&gt; within the Department of&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. This would have the &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;benefit of joined up thinking and be in a position to enhance sustainability &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;measures in a coordinated way across a number of sectors.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  114. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Putting sustainability at the heart of energy policy across all sectors&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;It is imperative to promote a sustainable approach to our energy usage,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;improve our energy efficiency, and integrate renewable forms of energy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  115. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;A major &lt;b&gt;National Insulation/Retrofit Scheme:&lt;/b&gt; to leverage investment; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;to reduce our national carbon emissions; to reduce our national bill for&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;imported fuel; to save householders money on their heating bills to create &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;employment and business opportunities for builders, architects, engineers, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;energy services companies, plumbers, electricians, the renewable energy &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;sector, and the supply of green construction materials.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  116. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Investment in renewable energy and carbon reduction initiatives&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;through a &lt;b&gt;National Strategic Investment Bank&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  117. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Enacting Legislation to ensure the growth of &lt;b&gt;geothermal&lt;/b&gt; potential.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  118. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Implementing an ambitious strategy to promote Ireland as a test-bed &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;for the electrification of transport and introduction of 350,000 electric &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;vehicles by 2025.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  119. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Equipping the workforce with ‘green skills’ through the Labour Party’s&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;skills drive.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  120. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;The establishment of a &lt;b&gt;Renewable Manufacturing Hub&lt;/b&gt; to attract &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;investment from international and national companies and facilitate &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;companies to enter carbon-neutral green energy business parks.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  121. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;The Development of a S&lt;b&gt;mart Grid&lt;/b&gt; system with the infrastructural &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;capacity and the technological capability to decarbonise the economy is a &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;fundamental component of any strategy.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  122. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 18pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;The promotion of solar and other renewable forms of heating.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoListParagraph&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -18pt;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  123. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  124. There&#39;s quite a bit of duplication in the document so I&#39;ve trimmed out any points that are just repetition.&amp;nbsp; It&#39;s all very aspirational, but not particularly coherent.&amp;nbsp; Here&#39;s a link to the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.labour.ie/download/pdf/planforgreenenergyjobs.pdf&quot; linkindex=&quot;34&quot;&gt;&#39;Plan for Green Energy Jobs&#39;&lt;/a&gt; document.&lt;br /&gt;
  125. &lt;br /&gt;
  126. The creation of a &#39;Smart Grid&#39; gets a mention, as does the need for interconnectors to other energy markets. &lt;br /&gt;
  127. &lt;br /&gt;
  128. Not mentioned - &#39;selling State assets&#39;, &#39;Semi State&#39;, &#39;hydroelectricity&#39;, &#39;hydro&#39;&lt;br /&gt;
  129. &lt;br /&gt;
  130. &lt;br /&gt;
  131. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;_______________________________________&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  132. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S6OQ6HPi7ztaEFtXqoP9y531cHPlN-kWZHzPhO8eWN0DF_EfVb9ec4vlmonK0whQA6WsiWBsyDS9m_-Acufg2t6WSnvS0jqbJWq365rSuJATDmd7wg8jlkp-zhMSLytqcoqxT9I1x34/s1600/Fianna+Fail.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;34&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S6OQ6HPi7ztaEFtXqoP9y531cHPlN-kWZHzPhO8eWN0DF_EfVb9ec4vlmonK0whQA6WsiWBsyDS9m_-Acufg2t6WSnvS0jqbJWq365rSuJATDmd7wg8jlkp-zhMSLytqcoqxT9I1x34/s1600/Fianna+Fail.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Fianna Fail have published a document called &#39;Real Plan, Better Future&#39; and in it they outline their proposals for the &#39;Green Economy&#39;.&amp;nbsp; I&#39;ve included the entire section.&amp;nbsp; It&#39;s very striking how little there is to it.&amp;nbsp; Quite shocking actually. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  133. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  134. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;The Green Economy&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;A crucial objective for us is to ensure that employment growth is sustainable. This&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;is one reason why the fast-growing Green Economy is a sector where Ireland has&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;huge opportunities for growth, particularly in the following areas:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  135. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• Energy export potential&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• A Green IFSC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• Water management&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• Ireland as a test-bed location and research hub&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• Potential for convergence of ICT and energy management systems&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  136. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;The National Retrofit Programme which is incorporated into our National Recovery&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Plan is also providing work for the construction sector. Further steps include:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  137. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• Investing €4.5 billion in our transmission distribution and international&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;interconnection grids to develop our renewable resources.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• Developing Ireland as a centre of new &lt;b&gt;Smart Grid&lt;/b&gt; technology using our&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;advantage in a flexible grid infrastructure and as a location for energy ICT&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;companies.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• Identification of skills needs to capitalise on the green economy and design&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;of appropriate courses and training to deliver these skills.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;• The publication of the Green Public Procurement Plan.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  138. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Green IFSC&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Fianna Fáil strongly supports the establishment of a Green IFSC to target&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;environmentally-related financial services as a means of generating high value&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;employment and revenue growth in Ireland.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  139. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;By establishing the ‘Green IFSC’, Ireland will position itself as leading financial&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;services centre for the management of carbon and green finance, including the&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;establishment of a government supported International Carbon Standard (ICS)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;and associated Dublin International Voluntary Offset Registry (DIVO R).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  140. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;This initiative will help to maintain the competitive advantage of the IFSC and has&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;the potential to create in the next five years over 4,000 new jobs and €6 billion in&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;revenue from this emerging sector.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  141. The document,&lt;a href=&quot;http://fail.3cdn.net/9bab6b928c527f3728_60am6gzlc.pdf&quot; linkindex=&quot;35&quot;&gt; &#39;Real Plan, Better Future&#39;&lt;/a&gt; is available here.&lt;br /&gt;
  142. &lt;br /&gt;
  143. &lt;br /&gt;
  144. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;_______________________________________&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  145. &lt;div class=&quot;separator&quot; style=&quot;clear: both; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYTvUQjXhqwMztRjW4ZY2LEv_ivKv2BoQYjtO4SXQEN2ELnJLsL1Bpl5g5ZJ6AXt90rn6AHYkL5JqE-4CqG3i7M1IL2YYsW9w9XTtMURy2iM02Tke7NdSAy5Eq4aLv55FuSRBhVuKW-4/s1600/Sinn+Fein.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;35&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYTvUQjXhqwMztRjW4ZY2LEv_ivKv2BoQYjtO4SXQEN2ELnJLsL1Bpl5g5ZJ6AXt90rn6AHYkL5JqE-4CqG3i7M1IL2YYsW9w9XTtMURy2iM02Tke7NdSAy5Eq4aLv55FuSRBhVuKW-4/s1600/Sinn+Fein.jpg&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Sinn Fein lay out their support for renewable energy in their &#39;Getting Ireland Back to Work&#39; document.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Broadly positive.&amp;nbsp; It states that National Development Plan investment should be steered towards areas &lt;i style=&quot;color: #0b5394;&quot;&gt;where we have a comparative advantage and can compete on the international stage ie renewable energy.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #0b5394;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: black;&quot;&gt;The major part of the manifesto is the creation of a &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: black;&quot;&gt;research and funding body to stimulate the development of the Green sector, a publicly owned company to exploit renewable energy resources, and a venture capital fund to finance projects. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  146. &lt;br /&gt;
  147. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Key action proposals&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  148. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Establish within a calendar year, &lt;b&gt;Eolas Glas Éireann, a new national green technology body for research, promotion and funding of green energy and environmental technologies&lt;/b&gt;. Sustainable Energy Ireland would be the key element of this new body and would provide leadership in the sector, working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Unit, as well forming partnerships with the Irish Wind Energy Association, the ESB, Eirgrid and others, to formulate and implement an all-Ireland strategy on green technology use&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  149. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Fast track and expand the promised €200 million currently earmarked for R&amp;amp;D into alternative energy under the Science Technology and Innovation Fund. The most recent SEI figures, found that in 2006 R&amp;amp;D investment for energy was only €28 million covering 321 projects in the 26 Counties&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  150. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Expand the retrofitting scheme for Irish housing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt; €5 million was earmarked in 2008 for a regional pilot scheme, with the full €100 million envisaged in the Programme for Government now fast tracked into 2009. We propose doubling the rollout from 2009 through to 2011. €10 million was spent on home insulation in 2007 through the Warmer Homes Scheme and the Low Income Housing Scheme. The increased allocation is a positive step but must be compared to the spend in 2007 of €350m on fuel allowances.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  151. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Create a publicly owned national green tech firm for Ireland that would manage and use the island’s energy resources. It would be an energy provider and funder under the auspices of Eolas Glas Eireann, gathering expertise and resources to make Ireland energy independent by 2020&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  152. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;Create a specific loan/venture capital fund for alternative energy projects (there is still a lot of capital and wealth in Ireland, which could be tapped into in the form of a &lt;b&gt;venture capital fund for green energy,&lt;/b&gt; if it is established in the right way and in the national interest). In 2008 many wind and alternative energy projects that had come through planning were delayed because of a lack of funding. The Irish Wind Energy Association reported in late June that wind farm operators were finding it difficult to finance new projects as banks were only willing to fund 70% to 75% of the constructions costs compared to over 80% before the credit crisis, and the smaller wind farm operators were being hit the most. Trinity College scientist Igor Shvets 2008 Intelligent Energy Options for the Future points out that €6 billion is spent annually on energy imports and cites government commitment as the only missing factor to energy independence in Ireland.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  153. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: #376092;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: black;&quot;&gt;The document is available &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.sinnfein.ie/files/jobcreationdocumentweb.pdf&quot; linkindex=&quot;36&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; style=&quot;line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  154. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;_______________________________________&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/2011/02/renewable-energy-policy-who-to-vote-for.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (MicroHydro)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8g06LUZSAKoUNl7_xlINvf1T493c2biV5BeDksoqa0JvynzJ9z6O8_fAWvmkxvhsBhg4mVXPyV3k2Hez8NbURNS2N8OVCMFpD1Bi5WAGLpTvO2OIia6RttLUvHk17IwxUa7yIHL2S3fI/s72-c/Election1.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802492012913709152.post-7921032697562054560</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:56:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-02-16T23:58:26.669+00:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">History and Heritage</category><title>Cormac&#39;s Mill at Tara, 275AD</title><description>&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Finding Cormac&#39;s Mill, the First Mill in Ireland.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  155. &lt;br /&gt;
  156. &lt;br /&gt;
  157. I&#39;ve always been fascinated by the Hill of Tara and it&#39;s surrounding landscape, not just because of it&#39;s importance as the centre of Irish mythological and historical events for thousands of years; -it&#39;s layer upon layer of archaeological remains, the ring forts, the wells, the burial mounds- but by something more intangible.&lt;br /&gt;
  158. &lt;br /&gt;
  159. &lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  160. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LH0hVXynsrBHbWJwaT4pwnBCPbgcrAROxPPRkEsqj4JW46vFOI9L8c826q8O55Hn3N2nybL_Jxk04oSJW90j7GxFA5m61eizdCkmPCtirR7NaXmg3ORevOscH3QYipvX9cvJKgLR_dE/s1600/Tara+Aerial.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;24&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;304&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LH0hVXynsrBHbWJwaT4pwnBCPbgcrAROxPPRkEsqj4JW46vFOI9L8c826q8O55Hn3N2nybL_Jxk04oSJW90j7GxFA5m61eizdCkmPCtirR7NaXmg3ORevOscH3QYipvX9cvJKgLR_dE/s320/Tara+Aerial.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  161. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fig (i) The Hill of Tara&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  162. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;The place has a hold on our imaginations that is hard to explain, and even people who have never read it&#39;s history can&#39;t help but feel a sense of magic and mystery when they walk between the ditches of the great Banqueting Hall or stand at the site of the Liath Fail and gaze down at the land rolling out before them.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  163. &lt;br /&gt;
  164. When we read the myths, the history and the folklore we start to realise that, despite what archaeology can reveal, there are still so many mysteries that remain.&lt;br /&gt;
  165. &lt;br /&gt;
  166. But what has this got to do with Hydropower, I hear you ask?&lt;b&gt;&lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  167. &lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  168. &lt;/b&gt;For the answer to that question we have to step back to the reign of Cormac Mac Airt, who ruled Tara 1750 years ago, and under whose rule Tara flourished. The Irish Annals record the details of his reign in great detail, and it is in a text called the &lt;i&gt;Metrical Dindshenchas&lt;/i&gt; (a description of the topography of Tara) that a fascinating tale emerges.&lt;br /&gt;
  169. &lt;br /&gt;
  170. &lt;br /&gt;
  171. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;Temair III (verse 25-30)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  172. &lt;div style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  173. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;It is there was situated&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;the house, on the margin of Nemnach;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;about this house away across Meath&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;were scattered the houses of Temair.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  174. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;Temair, whence Temair Breg is named,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;Rampart of Tea wife of the son of Miled,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;Nemnach is east of it, a stream through the glen&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;on which Cormac set the first mill.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  175. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;Ciarnait, hand-maid of upright Cormac,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;used to feed from her quern many hundreds,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;ten measures a day she had to grind,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;it was no task for an idler.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  176. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;The noble king came upon her at her task&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;all alone in her house,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;and got her with child privily;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;presently she was unable for heavy grinding.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  177. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;Thereupon the grandson of Conn (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;Cormac&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;) took pity on her,&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;he brought a mill-wright over the wide sea;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;the first mill of Cormac mac Art&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Cambria&amp;quot;,&amp;quot;serif&amp;quot;;&quot;&gt;was a help to Ciarnait.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  178. &lt;br /&gt;
  179. Ciarnait was the captured daughter of a Pictish king who was brought from Scotland to Tara where she was forced to become a vassal slave in Cormac&#39;s court.&amp;nbsp; Because of her beauty Cormac fell in love with her, but Cormac&#39;s wife, Eithne, didn&#39;t approve and had her sent to work grinding grain by hand with a simple quern-stone.&lt;br /&gt;
  180. &lt;br /&gt;
  181. When Ciarnait fell pregnant she went to Cormac and told him that she was no longer able for the heavy work so Cormac sent for a mill-wright from Scotland to design and construct a mill so that she would not have to labour for Eithne any more.&amp;nbsp; PW Joyce, in his &#39;Social History of Ancient Ireland&#39; (1906) records the name of the mill-wright as MacLama, and he also records the location of the mill as being at Lismullin (&#39;The Fort of the Mill&#39;)&lt;br /&gt;
  182. &lt;br /&gt;
  183. &lt;blockquote style=&quot;color: #134f5c; font-family: inherit;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: small;&quot;&gt;Very early Irish tradition, transmitted through          ancient manuscripts, assigns the erection of the first watermill in Ireland          to the illustrious King Cormac mac Art (reigned A.D. 254 to 277). He sent          &quot;across the sea&quot; for a mill-wright, who constructed a mill on          the stream of Nith, flowing from the well named Nemnach (&#39;sparkling&#39;)          beside Tara. The spot on which this mill was constructed, and where a          mill was kept working time out of mind until very recently, was called          Lismullin (the &#39;fort of the mill&#39;): and the place, which is a mile northeast          from Tara, retains the same name to this day. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  184. Lismullin has an association with milling that undoubtedly stretches back into antiquity, but I have serious doubts about it being the site of Cormac&#39;s Mill.&amp;nbsp; Not only does it not fit the location as described in the ancient texts, but it&#39;s also doesn&#39;t fit well with what was required by King Cormac.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  185. &lt;br /&gt;
  186. No doubt Lismullin was an excellent site for a larger more modern mill, but with a catchment of almost 15km2 and a mean flow of approximately 200 litres/second, it would have been far larger than what was required to replace the labour of Ciarnait, and not ideally suited to the technology of the time.&amp;nbsp; PW Joyce describes the way these early mills were operated in &lt;i&gt;figure (ii)&lt;/i&gt; below&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp; These early mills were quite different from the far larger mills of the 17th and 18th century, and it was more typical for them to be supplied from a mill pond, than directly from a free flowing river.&lt;br /&gt;
  187. &lt;br /&gt;
  188. &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  189. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC46wdYIVeL4ctyiGIXnYZ__N-cObn1pmz13V1AWRTFAgdpin7FUJjNVngYEpA3ZC0dGfOmOoc57atyzEhAbRdq0C2YSo1M1ZgdH3bJIlhd5YRPqPZrQ5e6xHAZUOWjvQRxp_LutWBKoQ/s1600/PW+Joyce.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;25&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;281&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC46wdYIVeL4ctyiGIXnYZ__N-cObn1pmz13V1AWRTFAgdpin7FUJjNVngYEpA3ZC0dGfOmOoc57atyzEhAbRdq0C2YSo1M1ZgdH3bJIlhd5YRPqPZrQ5e6xHAZUOWjvQRxp_LutWBKoQ/s400/PW+Joyce.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  190. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fig (ii), PW Joyce, &#39;Social History of Ancient Ireland&#39; (1906)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  191. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;Lismullin is also located on the Gabhra River, -into which the Nith stream flows-, but it would be stretching the description in the texts too far to say it is fed by the Nemnach well.&lt;br /&gt;
  192. &lt;br /&gt;
  193. &lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  194. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tX3lkzDP9SAc7l2bupdWNlEBjmHMAXJlbM_Uxxm1Lk4s_Brfi1znb20162vcBVRpR544NuEIdHOwWAqAoYs0GLc_T31vhvxdqnENdebYX-RGpt_FU3XxyVE7u8sCvMuOYrfNLcIOjNw/s1600/Petrie+Map1.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;26&quot; style=&quot;clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;400&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tX3lkzDP9SAc7l2bupdWNlEBjmHMAXJlbM_Uxxm1Lk4s_Brfi1znb20162vcBVRpR544NuEIdHOwWAqAoYs0GLc_T31vhvxdqnENdebYX-RGpt_FU3XxyVE7u8sCvMuOYrfNLcIOjNw/s400/Petrie+Map1.jpg&quot; width=&quot;283&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  195. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fig (iii) Petrie&#39;s map of Tara with Nemnach shown.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  196. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;So, if not at Lismullin,&amp;nbsp; where else could Cormac&#39;s Mill have been.&amp;nbsp; Let&#39;s return to the old texts.&amp;nbsp; The&lt;i&gt; &lt;/i&gt;&lt;i&gt;Dindshenchas &lt;/i&gt;clearly state that the mill was fed from Nemnach, a well located on the eastern slope of the hill of Tara.&amp;nbsp; In the 19th Century George Petrie created a map from the topographical information contained in the &lt;i&gt;Dindshenchas&lt;/i&gt;, and I&#39;ve included it here, &lt;i&gt;figure (iii)&lt;/i&gt;, with the well, Nemnach, clearly shown.&lt;br /&gt;
  197. &lt;br /&gt;
  198. Nemnach is clearly described in the &lt;i&gt;Rennes Dindshenchas&lt;/i&gt; as the source of the stream, Nith, on which the mill was constructed.&lt;br /&gt;
  199. &lt;br /&gt;
  200. &lt;div class=&quot;MsoNoSpacing&quot; style=&quot;color: #134f5c; text-align: justify;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: x-small;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;5&lt;/i&gt;. &lt;b&gt;Nemnach&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;, a well which is at the elf-mound in the north-eastern part of Tara. Out of Nemnach comes a stream named Nith. ’Tis on this that the first mill was built in Ireland for the benefit of Ciarnait, Cormac’s bondmaid.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  201. ...but it is also stated that in Temair III (Verse25-30) that the Mill was located in the glen of the Nith stream.&amp;nbsp; It is clear from a study of the maps, the topography, the description of the technology, and the description of the location in the texts, that the mill must have been located&amp;nbsp; at the head of the Nith Glen, south of &#39;Tara Hall&#39;.&lt;br /&gt;
  202. &lt;br /&gt;
  203. &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  204. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVHHcS24yHqr80eZQ_tkI1ONujwekIPb1L9zfaMLsxvImISETh0JrFsq0qFu76J6wHo3R8DP_TIaCuENiawKfqGA6dV7oPoDHk4PclwXYIpdI1ZLavmkuc7H9aMucsPIRhPvHZFPvij8/s1600/Map+of+Tara3.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;27&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;302&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVHHcS24yHqr80eZQ_tkI1ONujwekIPb1L9zfaMLsxvImISETh0JrFsq0qFu76J6wHo3R8DP_TIaCuENiawKfqGA6dV7oPoDHk4PclwXYIpdI1ZLavmkuc7H9aMucsPIRhPvHZFPvij8/s400/Map+of+Tara3.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  205. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fig (iv) The location of Cormac&#39;s Mill and associated Mill-pond (275AD)&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  206. &lt;i&gt;(click image to enlarge) &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  207. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  208. ITN Coordinates (692531,759907), LEN (N926599), GPS (53.5808N, 6.6026W)&lt;br /&gt;
  209. &lt;br /&gt;
  210. &lt;br /&gt;
  211. &amp;nbsp;I hope you have found this article interesting.&amp;nbsp; I&#39;ll revisit this idea again in the future, so please drop in again soon.&amp;nbsp; Any comments would be appreciated, and I&#39;ll always try my best to respond promptly.&lt;br /&gt;
  212. &lt;br /&gt;
  213. And if you&#39;re curious about the potential to generate hydroelectricity in any stream or river throughout the country, why not check out the Map Survey on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.microhydro.ie/&quot; linkindex=&quot;28&quot;&gt;MicroHydro.ie&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp; It&#39;s a free and confidential service.</description><link>http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/2011/02/cormacs-mill-at-tara-275ad.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (MicroHydro)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LH0hVXynsrBHbWJwaT4pwnBCPbgcrAROxPPRkEsqj4JW46vFOI9L8c826q8O55Hn3N2nybL_Jxk04oSJW90j7GxFA5m61eizdCkmPCtirR7NaXmg3ORevOscH3QYipvX9cvJKgLR_dE/s72-c/Tara+Aerial.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6802492012913709152.post-6095150372038624542</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:41:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-02-16T23:50:36.501+00:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Hydrometric Studies</category><title>Seasonal Flow Variation and Electricity Production</title><description>&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: large;&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;Seasonal Rainfall and Evapotranspiration&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  214. &lt;br /&gt;
  215. In Ireland we get a good distribution of precipitation right across the year, but with significant concentration in the months from October through to March.&amp;nbsp; We&#39;re fortunate that this &#39;rainy season&#39; coincides with when we have the highest energy demand in our homes, businesses and schools, and it makes hydropower all the more ideal to meet our energy needs.&lt;br /&gt;
  216. &lt;br /&gt;
  217. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  218. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfvbV3gqt4svgF7IOZr4A8YyUF682nKU9ke5B1x9lkVgvJgVaWXQCRVM3-4QuVkRYsvMDwMdMnWOKENK_Z-YI73LRlp6grlj2Otg_3gazL9KQ2szeg2jj39tDNABj1OT_wL87nPNV_sA/s1600/LaraghBlog.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;26&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;216&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfvbV3gqt4svgF7IOZr4A8YyUF682nKU9ke5B1x9lkVgvJgVaWXQCRVM3-4QuVkRYsvMDwMdMnWOKENK_Z-YI73LRlp6grlj2Otg_3gazL9KQ2szeg2jj39tDNABj1OT_wL87nPNV_sA/s400/LaraghBlog.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  219. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;fig (i) Seasonal Precipitation and River Flow.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  220. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;In &lt;i&gt;fig. (i)&lt;/i&gt; you can see the seasonal variation in precipitation across the year in a catchment in the east of the country. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  221. &lt;br /&gt;
  222. As a rough guide, there&#39;s a ratio of about 2:1 between the precipitation in the winter months and in the summer months, but it would not unusual for the period from October to March to get significantly more.&lt;br /&gt;
  223. &lt;a name=&#39;more&#39;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  224. &lt;br /&gt;
  225. Of course all this precipitation does not result in a direct correlation in the river flow.&amp;nbsp; In the warm summer months the amount of moisture that evaporates form the soil is much higher than in the winter months.&amp;nbsp; Also plants transpire far less moisture in the winter.&amp;nbsp; The impact of this evapotranspiration can be seen in &lt;i&gt;fig (i)&lt;/i&gt;.&amp;nbsp; While the ratio of winter: summer rainfall might be 2:1, the ratio of winter:summer river flow is closer to 3:1.&lt;br /&gt;
  226. &lt;br /&gt;
  227. &lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  228. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6T0N9Y5cVjMQYUJKdv8w5G0KVrFOXyigifrXzfBHctmGnvjHQLzENJEfONJVDAYfYMmCGzc332SkqS6srpiC5qObQeHcgpbcZcxQ_rerekN5sRIRnLUtItb5S2mQ2anfr5wQui93Q6M/s1600/Laragh78-79.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;27&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;233&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6T0N9Y5cVjMQYUJKdv8w5G0KVrFOXyigifrXzfBHctmGnvjHQLzENJEfONJVDAYfYMmCGzc332SkqS6srpiC5qObQeHcgpbcZcxQ_rerekN5sRIRnLUtItb5S2mQ2anfr5wQui93Q6M/s320/Laragh78-79.jpg&quot; width=&quot;320&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  229. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;fig. (ii) Flow at the selected location, 1978-1979&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  230. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;Lets look at it in a bit more detail.&amp;nbsp; &lt;i&gt;Fig (ii)&lt;/i&gt; shows the flow at a selected site in the two years of 1978 and 1979.&amp;nbsp; The seasonal variability can be clearly seen, with a very obvious oscillation between the winter and summer months.&amp;nbsp; We&#39;ll return to this chart shortly and look in more detail at how various different sized turbines would have operated under these flow conditions.&lt;br /&gt;
  231. &lt;br /&gt;
  232. Any hydro scheme needs to be designed to make maximum use of the available flow while also ensuring that the &#39;load factor&#39; is optimised.&amp;nbsp; This is because there is a direct relationship between the installed capacity and the capital cost of a hydro project, and an excess amount of time when the turbine is not being utilised is diminishing the return on the investment.&lt;br /&gt;
  233. &lt;br /&gt;
  234. Every hydroelectric resource is different so the turbine type and size, and the optimum load factor, would need to be worked out depending on a wide range of criteria, but of critical importance is how the low flows of the summer period are used.&lt;br /&gt;
  235. &lt;br /&gt;
  236. &lt;div style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;table cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  237. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWEjZYqeORdNDj7IBaxTJfqhf-iIYSM8rSE4bjdtz8HCHr3-3rzvqwCnqzNtAWWojxejPWNfeZAa21W6gkD0G26pGp_WN_jz3zzHTPRLg54qsQ6Lvz7oTSK9UahBPZvDozRbnmYSyqF4/s1600/Winter-Summer.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;28&quot; style=&quot;clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;221&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWEjZYqeORdNDj7IBaxTJfqhf-iIYSM8rSE4bjdtz8HCHr3-3rzvqwCnqzNtAWWojxejPWNfeZAa21W6gkD0G26pGp_WN_jz3zzHTPRLg54qsQ6Lvz7oTSK9UahBPZvDozRbnmYSyqF4/s400/Winter-Summer.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  238. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;fig. (iii) Seasonal electricity production relative to turbine size.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  239. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;A detailed study of the data provided in &lt;i&gt;fig. (ii)&lt;/i&gt; shows how the total annual electricity production (per meter head) increases with an increase in the size of the turbine.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; While the relationship is linear at the beginning, it&#39;s clear that after a certain point the rate of increase starts tailing off.&amp;nbsp; A larger turbine is not giving a corresponding increase in production.&lt;br /&gt;
  240. &lt;br /&gt;
  241. It is also interesting to note that it is not possible to increase production over the summer period with a larger turbine.&amp;nbsp; Quite the opposite in fact, as a larger turbine requires a higher minimum flow before it commences operation and is unable to make use of the low flows.&lt;br /&gt;
  242. &lt;br /&gt;
  243. We can see that the ratio of winter/summer production moves from a ratio of 1:1 initially to 3:1, indicating a significant amount of downtime in the summer period, which can also be seen in the decline of the load factor.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;i&gt;Figures (iv) and (v)&lt;/i&gt; below show how two different sized turbines would operate under the same flow conditions and criteria.&amp;nbsp; While the larger turbine does produce a larger amount of electricity, it would offer a lower rate of return on investment.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;
  244. &lt;br /&gt;
  245. &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  246. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsasamZMrG3vk6cKHCfr9ZHTcFi7SNfBJym4DFKX80fUEF01eounUNlqgXMog5kCbUh7QDqtP_XRyn3GhN6u_aRmfg_UcBXLHvbSwN1rATI8NoOzYwWcHxmI5VRVuw_No-WkegPxJ4E6Q/s1600/Laragh78-79a.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;29&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsasamZMrG3vk6cKHCfr9ZHTcFi7SNfBJym4DFKX80fUEF01eounUNlqgXMog5kCbUh7QDqtP_XRyn3GhN6u_aRmfg_UcBXLHvbSwN1rATI8NoOzYwWcHxmI5VRVuw_No-WkegPxJ4E6Q/s400/Laragh78-79a.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  247. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fig. (iv) Turbine abstraction 1978-1979, 1.3m/s maximum, Load factor 69%&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  248. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  249. &lt;table align=&quot;center&quot; cellpadding=&quot;0&quot; cellspacing=&quot;0&quot; class=&quot;tr-caption-container&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;
  250. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a1yq-v_OrdTKs73CYC794chVxbQKLyWGFdM7IxSES7OasVRe1MKEUV81nKGfqcpjmWM67suLPi0EVPwKHCCNsfioM9DN9O-2Z1Gv4BKZIlR_TRRUDAARtTbEb16kFUtELg-Jg4YiVaY/s1600/Laragh78-79b.jpg&quot; imageanchor=&quot;1&quot; linkindex=&quot;30&quot; style=&quot;margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;&quot;&gt;&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;100&quot; src=&quot;https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3a1yq-v_OrdTKs73CYC794chVxbQKLyWGFdM7IxSES7OasVRe1MKEUV81nKGfqcpjmWM67suLPi0EVPwKHCCNsfioM9DN9O-2Z1Gv4BKZIlR_TRRUDAARtTbEb16kFUtELg-Jg4YiVaY/s400/Laragh78-79b.jpg&quot; width=&quot;400&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  251. &lt;tr&gt;&lt;td class=&quot;tr-caption&quot; style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Fig. (v) Turbine abstraction 1978-1979. 2.6m3/s maximum Load Factor 48%&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
  252. &lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
  253. &lt;br /&gt;
  254. I&#39;ll develop this section more as time goes by, so drop in again soon.&amp;nbsp; If you are curious about the potential to generate hydroelectricity on any particular stream or river why not check out the Map Survey that&#39;s available on &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.microhydro.ie/&quot; linkindex=&quot;31&quot;&gt;MicroHydro.ie&lt;/a&gt;?&amp;nbsp; It&#39;s a free service.</description><link>http://irishmicrohydro.blogspot.com/2011/02/seasonal-flow-variation-and-electricity.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (MicroHydro)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfvbV3gqt4svgF7IOZr4A8YyUF682nKU9ke5B1x9lkVgvJgVaWXQCRVM3-4QuVkRYsvMDwMdMnWOKENK_Z-YI73LRlp6grlj2Otg_3gazL9KQ2szeg2jj39tDNABj1OT_wL87nPNV_sA/s72-c/LaraghBlog.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item></channel></rss>

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