From Potatoes to Pure ‘Irish Green’ Self Sufficiency: Worlds Largest Tidal-Turbine.
They say that necessity is the mother of invention and with Ireland previously importing nearly 90% of its fossil fuel needs, it remained particularly vulnerable to global supply disruptions, sitting as it does, ‘at the end of Europe's pipelines.’
Eamon Ryan : Irish Green Party
Since then ‘Irish green’ has continued to astound the world with it’s verdent growth rate and more announcements last week, of a further government-backed guaranteed price for offshore wind power. Under the new initiative the government's 'feed-in tariff scheme' will offer investors 1403 Euros ($202.9) per megawatt hour for all offshore wind power produced.
Rising world fuel prices have continued to coax Ireland to look for domestic solutions. However, after initial costs of new infrastructure are in place, it is now also hoped that developing renewable energy sources will also have the add-on affect of reducing electricity prices paid by future consumers too.
Manufactured by Marine Current Turbines, the gigantic SeaGen Turbine weighs around 1,000 tonnes and has the distinction of having been built in the same shipyards, which built The Titanic herself; Harland and Wolff, (1853) in Belfast, who these days, have diversified their activities to include a growing market in renewable energy infrastructure, guaranteed to sink!
The SeaGen has twin rotors measuring 16 meters in diameter, and turn for about 18-20 hours per day to produce a seamless supply of clean, green electricity.
SeaGens Propellors
The rotors of this type of the SeaGen turn slowly: about 10 to 20 revolutions per minute. By comparison a ship’s propellers, typically run 10 times faster, therefore the engineers claim that the risk of impact from SeaGen rotor blades is small, because the marine creatures that swim in strong currents tend to be agile, and can avoid slow-moving underwater obstructions.
Strangford Lough : North looking south to the sea
It is anticipated that the SeaGen will operate for up to 18-20 hours per day - when started up later this year - producing a seamless supply of clean, green Irish energy.
The Green Isle it seems, is certainly that!
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Michaelie
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This story really interested me, because the design of the turbine was different to the previous models...and because I like what the Irish govt. is doing... I wish ours would make similar commitments to supplementing at least 40% of our energy needs through similar measures...
Glad you enjoyed the read, always nice to see you... will visit you soon when I have unpacked my ..head! *laughs*
Lilla ...
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thanks for the info as always.
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"Manly, yes, but I like it too!"
(Old Irish Spring soap commercial)
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I had no idea either and just stumbled on this long list of Irish innovation by accident... I was quite gobsmacked... not that I don't think the Irish innovative, because I know they are... but because their squandering progeny out here in Oz, seem so far behond by comparison?
We just have so much coastline and tidal power waiting to be harnessed and yet even Labor thinks "nuclear" these days ... Oh Go Penny Wong... go get it!
The easy fix is not the answer.
Here's hoping...it's...soon?
Lilla ...
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I don;t know the add, but get the drift. Nice to meet you.
Expertise yes, and why oh why are we all left flapping in the breeze everywhere else?
Hang on ... going to check atlas for where Alberta is (apologies : mental block - just got in from work) ...
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Oh, okay, no possible tidal power there for you guys... but it is known as the prairie state... so I'm guessing that wind turbines would be awesome on such plains?
have a look at the Maglev Mega turbine, <<here>>it looks custom made for the terrain?
Maybe time to lobby government ...
Lilla ...
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Thanks for looking up Alberta. I didn't want to be too obscure and I am glad you took the time to check it out.
The economy of Alberta is the fastest-growing in Canada, due to the energy industry.
We are a major producer of conventional oil and gas, and our oil sand deposits (north east corner of the province) are massive.
Because of the pervasiveness of oil in our economy and lifestyle, it is hard to get environmental matters to take precedence. As a result, we are creating shameful problems of unimaginable scale, especially in the oil sands but not limited to there.
On the flip side, we do have some wind power and certainly we have the geography for it.
Politics here is all about energy, jobs are all about energy. Agriculture is our #2 industry but it gets so much less attention.
Cheers,
jill
Flashes of memories
Having just come back from Ireland I was fortunate enough to witness the full environmental swing. I couldn`t believe how many wind farms I saw there - they are everywhere.
And the houses that we visited (fair enough we were in a really rural part of Ireland) had energy conserving light bulbs and still used the ranges to heat the houses, burning all their rubbish in them or peat from the many surrounding bogs as fuel. And fresh spring water? My word Lilla you have never tasted anything so sweet, caught in a bucket as it ran down the mountainside.
They really do live naturally with nothing going to waste to be sure, to be sure.
Very interesting info on that turbine... pity I wasn`t quicker off the mark or I could have gone and had a look at it!
Thanks for the info, interesting stopover as always
Ash
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Sounds like they were backed into a corner and they had to do something.
That's motivating enough.
Having said that, I think we're all backed into a corner but just a bit slower out of the blocks.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
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I have no blood ties to this country and yet (like India and France) it remains amongst my favourites and I admire the lifestyle there. So far ahead of the rest of us ... I am always left wondering why I still live in Australia ... an optimist I guess... just waiting for a change, hoping the government wakes up. It looks good so far.
I had no idea you were there atm / recently, how wonderful!
Yes, green Isle, to be sure ... judging by your description it was a place to inspire much poetry in the soul?
Really nice to catch up to you.
L
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...and finally a government here in Australia... that perhaps is laying the foundations to 'get it going'... so much damage control to fix first though ...*shaking my head* (still) ...
Tight corners are wonderful things, are they not?
Nice to see you again.
L
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This is wonderful news! I wish that more countries would get on board!
Mis
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