Project Partners
ISLENET co-ordinator (Isle of Lewis), Gotlands Energy Agency (Sweden), Ithaka and Limos (Greece), Mayo Energy Agency (Ireland), National Technical University of Athens, (Greece)
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Summary |  |
The scope of project is to promote the large scale implementation of RES in several European islands aiming at 100% RES supply. As stated in the Commission's White Paper on Renewable Energies the achievement of 100% RES supply in a number of communities is expected to shed light on the variety of problems hindering the large scale integration of renewable technologies and to point on effective solutions. Islands present many advantages for promoting such a pilot action because they usually possess a significant RES potential which remains practically unexploited, while being highly dependent on energy imports. In addition, islands are very often dependent on tourism causing high seasonal variations in energy demand, while being very sensitive to the adverse environmental impacts associated with the use of conventional fuels.
The starting point was the establishment of a bottom-up analysis of the energy system (energy demand, energy supply, business-as-usual scenario forecasting) which set the scene for the formulation of the action plan. In order to met the first stage of the project i.e. energy demand, an energy audit of the Island and Corraun peninsula was undertaken.
The results of that energy audit were as follows -The residential sector has the highest energy demand of all sectors examined. It also has a high energy use approximately 419kWh/m2/yr. This is due to a number of factors - poor insulation, inefficient heating systems, over reliance on peat.
The total electrical demand on the Island is 11.7M kWh. The total energy demand on the Island including electricity is 6745 TOE. This is made up of transport fuels, gas oil, kerosene, coal, peat, propane, butane and briquettes. In the residential sector alone 316 tonnes of coal are burnt, 13,000 bales of briquettes are used, 10,251 tonnes of peat, over 805,916 litres of oil and almost 3.7 million units of electricity are consumed. In total the Island has an energy bill of just over 3 million euro per year. Of this the residential sector is spending almost 1.5 million.
Energy saving measures were identified for the Island that could save up to 300,000 euros per year in energy bills. This is money that is leaving the Island to pay for imported fossil fuels.
The energy survey revealed the strong dependence on turf as a fuel for space heating, however this dependence is more noticeable in the old households where the other low energy fuels (wood, coal) are used as second or third choice fuels.
A trend to switch from turf to oil fuelled heating systems was discovered in the survey. The substitution of inefficient heating systems based on turf as a fuel for more efficient oil fuelled systems will increase the dependence of the region on fossil fuels and will gradually eliminate the turf harvesting activity. An indication this trend of the above described during the last two years the number of turf cutters has been reduced from 4 to 2.
The survey also highlighted the demand the holiday home sector is exerting on the electrical system. The holiday homes on the Island are predominately electrically heated. The tourism industry accounts for almost 33% of the electrical demand on the Island. This has led to problems during peak holiday times.
Once the energy demand, energy supply, (business-as-usual scenario forecasting) was determined then the renewable energy potential of the island was examined.
As the residential sector had the highest energy demand, the renewables that could be developed to offset this fossil fuel use was examined first. Geothermal heat pumps were the preferred option.
A heat pumps is an environmental energy technology that extracts heat from low temperature sources (air, water, and the ground) upgrades it to a higher temperature and releases it where it is required i.e. for space and water heating.
In terms of meeting the space heating demand on the island, geothermal heat pumps are the only viable alternative. There is no biomass potential (trees, straw etc) on the Island, therefore wood stoves or a district heating system are not an option.
However changing over to any technology should not be employed until the energy consumption in the building has been reduced. Even with the most energy efficient system heat will be lost if the building fabric is not insulated. This is particularly true for the residential homes. If energy consumption is reduced then geothermal heat pumps could without much difficulty meet the heating demand of the sector.
The use of solar panels in addition to the geothermal heat pumps was recommended for the tourism sector. Solar panels are particularly suited to the this sector due to their high hot water demand in the summer.
In order to met the electrical demand on the Island, Wind (offshore and onshore) and tidal energy were examined.
The weakness of the electrical grid is a prohibiting factor in wind generation on the island. The grid is due to be upgraded in the coming 12 months which will allow approximately 1.7MW of wind power onto the system. Achill has the potential to produce over 6,000 MWh per year from wind which would met the current electrical demand of all the residential homes on the Island and more once the grid has been upgraded There is a large off shore potential - one of the best resources in Ireland. The grid would need to be upgraded further and this is unlikely to happen until at least 2020.
The tidal potential at Bulls Mouth was also examined. The tidal flow was modelled across the mouth and along the coast. The tidal current at Bulls Mouth is of commercial speed. However the channel depth is at its deepest 14m. Currently tidal technology is working at depths of 20m and deeper. Therefore even though the potential exists it will have to await technological advances in order to exploit this resource. It is hoped that 2020 these advances will have been made. Without further upgrades to the grid only 400kW can be connected at this point.
Action Plan for Achill Island
| MW/GWh | 2001 | 2005 | 2010 | 2020 |
| Wind Energy | 0 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 5 |
0 | 0.828 | 6.090 | 17.91 | |
| Wind Offshore | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.2 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 49.8 | |
| TIDAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.400 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0.686 | |
| SWHS [m2/ GWh] | 3 | 29 | 122 | 732 |
0.0027 | 0.0261 | 0.109 | 0.658 | |
| Heat pumps [MW/ GWh] | 0 | 0.91 | 3.3 | 16.8 |
0 | 5.8 | 20 | 101.3 | |
| TOTAL RES [GWh] | 0.0027 | 6.728 | 26.19 | 170.39 |
| Total energy supply (excluding transport) [GWh] | 60.15 | 71.81 | 92.2 | 154.97 |
| RES contribution to total energy balance [%] | 0.004 | 9.37 | 28.41 | 109.95 |
Achill Island has the potential to be self-sustaining in energy by 2020.
To find similar reports, click on a keyword below:
ALTENER II Programme 1998-2002
: Islands
: Renewable Energy Sources & Systems
: Wave Power
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