COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, July 14, 2014

QUESTION NO. 30

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

To ask the Chief Executive for an update on the plans for geothermal energy/district heating in the wider Tallaght area, and to make a statement on the matter?

REPLY:

As part of its successful submission for designation as Sustainable Energy Community with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, South Dublin County Council included the potential for a District Heating Scheme to be focused initially on the growing centre of Tallaght. Key stakeholders in this potential project are SDCC (including County Hall, Civic Theatre, County Library and Rua Red), Tallaght Hospital, the Institute of Technology in Tallaght and the Square Shopping Centre. The balance of varying energy requirements – heating, cooling, lighting – and the pattern of usage across the daily cycle, offered potential for the development of a shared energy facility. This was further improved by the relatively short distances between the stakeholder buildings and the pattern of ownership in the Town Centre.

As part of the Job-Bridge Internship, Alice Coburn, energy graduate, collated the energy usage of the stakeholders from their energy bills. The total annual energy usage, combining gas and electricity, between all stakeholders is 43,835,382 Kw/h (electricity: 19,418,458 Kw/h, gas: 24,416,924 Kw/h). This is sufficient energy demand to encourage further detailed investigations of a district heating scheme.

The district heating scheme would, if developed, centre initially on a combined heat-power plant (CHP). This could be powered by natural gas, biomass (wood pellet/wood ship) or geothermal. Typically in UK and European examples, an initial small network grows and expands as neighbouring businesses realise the value and reliability of the district system. The scale of the system appears to offer a sufficient load requirement for evaluation in relation to geothermal and in a more sustainable planning and energy context than the low-density residential previously put forward.

Alice Coburn’s feasibility study has been forwarded to SEAI and to City of Dublin Energy Management Agency (CODEMA) for evaluation. CODEMA have staff with specialist qualifications in this area. The feasibility study will be examined in greater detail by them and next stage identified.

SDCC are committed to the development of renewable sources under the County’s Sustainable Energy Action Plan, recently approved by the Covenant of Mayors.