Posts in the "Communityenergy" category
Catch up on Community Energy - October 2020
Posted on October 19, 2020 by Kate Ruddock
After years of campaigning on Community Energy, things are now looking bright! Last month Eirgrid held the first ever Irish renewable electricity auction, which gave the go ahead to 82 wind and solar parks, including two community owned solar parks from our partners at Community Power.
Community Power is Irelands first every 100% renewable and community owned electricity provider. You can switch your home or work electricity provider to Community Energy and know that you are supporting the change with clean, green and sound energy.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy
Catching up on Community Energy
Posted on June 17, 2020 by Kate Ruddock
Covid-19 created some delays for our Solar Schools 2020 winners but we will soon be back on track getting solar panels on their roofs. This year we had 8 winners and 8 runners up. Our winning schools will be generating their own clean energy and championing the solar revolution in Ireland.
Congratulations to all our winners!
We can’t wait to work with these primary and secondary schools and get going with their local climate action projects.
Special congratulations to St Munchins in Limerick who became the newest Solar School this month! Their newly installed6 kw array of solar PV panels will generate about 5,070 kWh per year for the school, to power lights, computers, photocopiers etc., saving about €800 while avoiding 3,000kg of CO2 a year.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy
Energy Democracy & Community Power Webinar
Posted on March 25, 2020 by Claudia Tormey
Thank you to our panelists and participants for tuning into our webinar 'Energy Democracy & Community Power' yesterday evening.
Cliona Sharkey, Policy Advisor with Trócaire, Paul Kenny, CEO of Tipperary Energy Agency and John Fogarty of Community Power, Ireland’s first community owned electricity supplier joined us for a lively discussion on the question;
How can we build energy democracy in our communities so that everyone has access to community power?
If you missed it, you can watch it back here in the video below.
Join the energy revolution, switch your electricity supplier to Community Power today - click here to make the switch!
For more on Trócaire - click here, and for more on Tipperary Energy Agency - click here.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy • webinars
Solar Schools 2020 and the winners are
Posted on March 13, 2020 by Friends of the Earth
Voting and judging for Solar Schools 2020 is now complete. The winners were judged by an independent judging panel following the results of an online public vote.
Schools were tasked with coming up with an idea for a local climate action project. And as expected, students in Ireland have fantastic ideas. The winners will now complete their climate action project, and will get solar pv panels designed and installed at their school.
We are very grateful for financial support for this project from the following organisations. It would not be possible without them.
The winners for Solar Schools 2020 are:
Primary Schools
Winners
Guardian Angels, Blackrock, Co Dublin
St Brigids National School Grange, Co Carlow
Scoil Naomh Brid, Co Donegal
Mercy Moyderwell, Tralees, Co Kerry
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • solarschools
Energy Democracy and Community Power
Posted on March 10, 2020 by Claudia Tormey
This event, due to happen in Nenagh, has now moved *online.
The date and time remain the same: Tuesday March 24th at 7pm
*Those who register will receive an email with a link to join a Zoom webinar, with instructions on how to join. We still have a limited number of places for the webinar so registration is on a first come first served basis.
How can we build energy democracy in our communities so that everyone has access to community power?
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy
Solar Schools - For the Love of Solar
Posted on February 24, 2020 by Friends of the Earth
Voting is now live for the Friends of the Earth Solar Schools 2020 competition!!
Our 'For the love of solar' competition is deisgned to help schools all over Ireland to go solar. With thanks to our generous funders, next week we willl be announcing at least 8 schools as winners of solar panels, 4 primary and 4 secondary schools. But really, we think every school should be a solar school. In fact we think every school, community building, sports club and local authority should go solar, to generate clean renewbale energy right from their rooftops.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • solarschools
We've Switched our Power - and you can too?
Posted on February 20, 2020 by Friends of the Earth
We have been working for years to support policy and legislation changes to enable people and communities take part in the energy transition. And now, it's becoming real! Our great friends and partners in the development of Ireland's first Community based Virtual Power Plant, Community Power have become a licenced supplier of electricity, and we've just switch our office electricity so we are buying electricity that is clean, renewable and owned by citizens and communities. And today, if you have a house, business or community enterprise, you can switch too!
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy
For The Love Of Solar! 2 Weeks To Go!
Posted on January 31, 2020 by Friends of the Earth
WIN SOLAR PANELS for your local school!
Young people all over Ireland calling for climate action while sitting in classrooms and learning in old buildings powered by fossil fuels. Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth are building a movement behind solar power in Ireland, that’s why we are running a competition to put solar panels on schools!
Enter Now!!
This competition is an excellent opportunity for communities to participate in renewable energy generation, and schools are the ideal place for valuable community-based education to occur. The competition will play an important role in encouraging communities to take the first step on their sustainable energy journey.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy • energy • solarschools
Renewable Electricity Public Consultation (RESS)
Posted on January 15, 2020 by Friends of the Earth
The Government is consulting with the public on the next renewable electricity support scheme - The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). Ireland can meet only about 30% of its electricity needs from renewables, so we really really need a new support scheme to allow more renewable electricity projects to get built. This scheme would support 3,330 GWhrs of renewable electricity onto the Irish market from onshore wind, solar, hydro, waste to energy, biomass CHP and biogas CHP.
The details of the scheme can be found here, and submissions are requested by email to ress@dccae.gov.ie by 5pm, 17th February.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy
Patagonia Match Giving
Posted on December 14, 2019 by Claudia Tormey
Every €1 you donate will turn into €4 when it comes to us through Patagonia's Match Giving until December 31st!
We want to turn your quadrupled euros into clean, renewable energy, generated right from the roof of schools all over Ireland.
Our Solar Schools project is putting solar panels on schools, to show that energy can and should be community powered. This is an exciting project, but it's only allowing us to do so much. Your donations matched by Patagonia mean we can go bigger and better to unlock renewables in Ireland.
This is an opportunity too good to miss. We can run Ireland on renewables, but we need this boost.
Permanent link | Categories: communityenergy
