TCD Scientist Finds Solution to Harnessing Wind Energy in Ireland
Posted on: 15 May 2009
Professor of Applied Physics in Trinity College’s School of Physics and Principal Investigator at TCD’s Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), Professor Igor Shvets has identified suitable locations on the West Coast of Ireland which would support Hydro Storage Reservoirs facilitating the safe and economical harnessing of wind energy through the innovative coupling of these hitherto distinct renewable sources. These findings have enabled the rollout of a new breakthrough national energy project, Spirit of Ireland of Ireland.
Over 90% of all the electricity use in Ireland is generated from imported, fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal. There is no control over the fluctuating costs of imported fuel resulting in Ireland having the most expensive electricity in Europe. Over the past six months the Spirit of Ireland team of experienced engineers, academics, architects, geologists, hydrogeologists, environmental engineers, construction experts, consultants, legal and finance professionals have been working intensively on the findings proposed by Professor Igor Shvets, aiming to resolve Ireland’s energy issues.
The Spirit of Ireland project aims to locate wind farms in suitable areas of Ireland to harvest wind energy. The harvested energy would be stored in specially designed hydro reservoirs which can be instantly released as natural energy and ideal for both domestic use and export. This project would secure Ireland’s energy supplies and save up to €30 billion over 10 years on fossil fuel imports.
“We have done extensive technical and economic due diligence on this project. The technical and business case is rather simple. It is now for us to decide if we want to embark on the road of radical departure from fossil fuels and how far do we want to go,” stated Professor Shvets. “Without community support, this project cannot proceed. It is up to the Irish people to decide if they want to embark on the project of this scale. The ‘Spirit of Ireland’ project needs their support and we welcome opinion and comments from the public. I invite people to visit the website, www.spiritofireland.org to learn about the project and give it their support.”
This ambitious project was launched last week by the Spirit of Ireland Group which is made up of volunteers whose aim is to bring clean economical energy to Ireland. The Spirit of Ireland project is broken into two phases. Phase One projects energy independence for Ireland within five years with a €10 billion stimulus to the economy. Energy independence implies that most of the electricity requirements are covered from the country’s own renewable resources. Phase Two envisages energy exports from Ireland in years six, seven and eight of €3 billion to €5 billion per year or up to €50 billion over the following ten years. Both phases will seek to help secure Ireland’s financial future.
As well as harnessing excess energy for exporting and domestic use, the Spirit of Ireland project will create jobs on a local and national level and lead to huge investment in throughout the country as well as having a massive impact on reducing the countries carbon dioxide emissions.
There are many challenges presented in trying to harness wind energy. These include; its volatility as a fuel source as it is difficult to predict, intermittent and variable in strength; the costs involved in harvesting the wind and connection to the power network; instabilities created in the power network and dispatching difficulties for network operators; and the lack of energy storage capabilities.
A solution to these challenges is Hydro Storage Reservoirs which resolve these difficulties by safely storing excess wind energy and providing more generation capacity when required. Professor Igor Shvets research has identified suitable valleys on the West Coast, which are ideally shaped to support Hydro Storage Reservoirs. Basic rock dams created in these valleys will provide Hydro Storage Reservoirs at modest cost.
To achieve energy independence proposed by Spirit of Ireland and save €15 billion in fossil fuel imports over five years, Ireland will need to build two or three Hydro Storage Reservoirs at a cost of €800m each. Wind farms will be connected to these reservoirs via a collection network.
A seawater hydro storage reservoir has been in successful operation by Japan’s nationwide network power transmission company J-Power for the past ten years in Okinawa. Engineers and senior executives from Japan visited Ireland and confirmed the validity of this approach for the ‘Spirit of Ireland’ project where filling the reservoirs with wind energy and using it when needed means that the intermittency of the wind problem is resolved. International consultants from Canada, the US and Norway also contributed to other aspects of the design. Portugal is also currently building 10 hydro storage reservoirs to store energy from renewable resources.
For further information on the Spirit of Ireland project please visit www.spiritofireland.org. Please note there is now a section on technical questions and answers that have been initiated following numerous requests from visitors to the site for information.
About Professor Shvets
Professor Igor Shvets holds a Personal Chair in Applied Physics, created in 2007 in recognition of his scientific and professional contribution to his discipline and to Trinity College Dublin. He is also a Principal Investigator at TCD’s Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN and has been the recipient of two consecutive Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator Awards. Professor Shvets leads one of the country’s most active research groups routinely publishing 12 – 15 papers annually in international peer-reviewed journals. His main research interests are the in fields of advanced materials and nanoscience. Professor Shvets is also a serial inventor and entrepreneur, having successfully spun out two campus companies as a result of his research. He was awarded the Trinity College Dublin Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005. Professor Shvets is the inventor on over 50 patent and patent applications in Europe and the US.
About Spirit of Ireland
Spirit of Ireland is a volunteer group of engineers, academics, architects, geologists, construction, consultants, legal, finance, students, writers, professionals and interested people from all walks of Irish life. Your opinions and participation are very welcome. By embracing this initiative, the Spirit of Ireland group believes that Irish people can play a part in deciding their own destiny and the future economic security of the country. The group is a voluntary group and are not involved in this process for any financial gain but rather the knowledge that the future of our country will be financially secure. www.spiritofireland.org