Energy expert calls for national grid restrictions to be lifted

A pioneer of wind energy in Ireland has called on the energy regulator to waive current restrictions on selling power to the national grid.

He claims that this will generate industry savings of €1million, save jobs and boost competitiveness.

Lawrence Staudt heads the centre for renewable energy at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DIT).

He said that, under the current system, any energy producer that delivered more than 500kWcould have to wait for up to five years before being cleared by the Commission for Energy Regulation’s (CER) ‘group processing approach’, which permits sale of excess electricity to the grid.

This, according to Staudt, impedes a ‘‘golden opportunity’’ for companies who build their own turbines to reduce their costs by up to €1million within five years. Staudt has just been appointed to the board of Irish company Wind Energy Direct (WED), which will be the first to install and operate turbines on company sites in Ireland.

‘‘This will deliver a significant reduction in energy costs, at a time when our nation’s competitiveness is being eroded year-on-year,” he said.

Sunday Business Post

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