COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, April 08, 2013
QUESTION NO. 10
QUESTION: Councillor W. Lavelle
To ask the Manager to examine the feasibility of establishing a hydro-electric sustainable energy pilot project in the County?
REPLY:
On Thursday 21st February, South Dublin County Council launched the Draft South Dublin Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP), (currently on public consulation to 4th April), which sets out how South Dublin County can take the lead in addressing EU and national energy reduction targets to 2020. The Draft SEAP has been undertaken in partnership with the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and eight other local authorities across the EU, as part of the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) funded, Leadership for Energy Action and Planning (LEAP) programme. The Draft SEAP has also been prepared with input from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and City of Dublin Energy Management Agency (CODEMA).
The Draft SEAP analyses the County’s energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (based on a 2006 baseline emissions inventory) and sets out how South Dublin County can reduce consumption and CO2 emissions, in line with 2020 energy targets, through a range of energy actions across sectors. SEAP actions have been structured under the guiding principles of ‘Record, Reduce & Replace’.
The Draft SEAP recognises that growth in the generation and increased use of energy from renewable sources across South Dublin County, including hydro, wind, geothermal etc, is vital to the achievement of 2020 energy targets. SEAP ‘Replace’ actions set out both a strategic and local approach to exploring renewable energy alternatives in the County, facilitating capacity building across all sectors, in particular for the private sector.
Replace Action No. 3 has specific regard to hydro based energy production:
Action REP3: Feasibility Projects to assess large scale renewable and low carbon technologies/strategies
South Dublin County Council will continue to investigate the feasibility of using renewable and low carbon technologies on a large scale through the following:
- Desk top studies on district heating in suitable locations in the County, such as Tallaght Town Centre and Grangecastle Business Park.
- Looking at the possibility of setting up Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) in these locations.
- Desk top studies on the use of hydro based energy production on the River Dodder and River Liffey.
- Assessing the feasibility of wind energy production in public parks, in the Dublin Mountains and with LUAS at the Red Cow interchange.
In 2012, the Council’s Energy Team received a presentation on the ‘Archimedean Screw Hydro Turbine’; this presentation included examples of existing hydro based energy production projects in Ireland that would be relevant to potential sites in South Dublin County. To progress SEAP ‘Replace’ Action No. 3, the Council intends to commission a feasibility study into hydro based energy production in South Dublin County in the coming months, with the support of SEAI.