[giller]

Hello all
Sorry I was absent without leave, but there does not seem to be enough hours in the day.

The S of I project can be summarised as follows, There is about €60 billion euros of energy costed at wholesale electricity rates blowing through our hair everyday. But simply putting wind turbines up to harvest some of this is not good enough, because it is intermittent. That means we are depending on mother natures whim, regarding the time of the day it blows. The way to solve this problem is to store the energy and then release at a time when it is needed. The most efficient way to store electricity is to use pumped hydro storage, but until Prof Igor shevts lightbulb moment in the depths of the west, the general consensus was that Ireland had run out of sites for pumped hydro after we built Turlough Hill. Igor showed us that all those glacial valleys along the west coast, could with a little engineering, be turned into very large and very cost effective pumped hydro units, using the atlantic ocean as the bottom reservoir.

Renewable energy is not cheap and requires a lot of investments.
All state resources for next 30 years will be used for NAMA.

Question – where get money?

S of I propose to raise the 10 billion or so on the international bond and capital markets, build one or two storage reservoirs at 800 million each and lend the rest at cost to local co ops to develop wind farms in an organised way, we also wish to use the bulk buying power this project can provide, to persuade the turbine manufacturers to locate their factories here.

We'd defintely support that approach fully around here, we've got it featured prominently in the recovery policy there. If you have a natural resource, USE IT. And its the one we do have in spades.

How do you mean a mini exchange rate for FDI though, I don't immediately grasp that?

We gave up our ability to use our currency exchange rate as an economic tool when we joined the euro, but we could use the absolutely rock solid price of the fuel used in wind turbines, free, to guarantee a low and stable energy price for the next 10 or 15 years, to all of our FDI targets as well as domestic business's. In a post peak oil world of rising energy prices, this is a major advantage.

There are massive opportunities in ireland in relation to the eneregy sector. A government with the right knowldeg and rtight desire could transform the country.
Even becoming energy indepedent, and not importing our energy needs is enough to transform the country, but I believe that the potential is there to become net exporters.
Pat, youve mentioned that this is a particulalr interest of yours, what sectors do you think Ireland has the most scope to develop in

Firstly get our storage units built, then build around 2500 on shore wind turbines to build capital into our renewable industry, in a few years we can then move offshore with more wind and by then commercial tidal and wave machines will be available, at that stage we really earn the nickname our peers in europe have begun to call us, the saudi arabia of renewable energy.

Pat Gill

[Aramusha]

at that stage we really earn the nickname our peers in europe have begun to call us, the saudi arabia of renewable energy.

Once we don't have to ride camels I'm in.

[Clanrickard]

S of I propose to raise the 10 billion or so on the international bond and capital markets, build one or two storage reservoirs at 800 million each and lend the rest at cost to local co ops to develop wind farms in an organised way, we also wish to use the bulk buying power this project can provide, to persuade the turbine manufacturers to locate their factories here.

Good post only I would raise the money from Irish people in the form of a pensions deduction form wages. Every citizen would pay and then when they retire they would get their investment back with interest. This could apply to all infrastructure projects. Everyone would get a minimum but people could put in more if they wanted to. [/quote]

[gibbonm]

Hi
New to this forum. Yes i think that spirit of ireland is a simple good idea. I would support it. However Irelands energy use is divided into 3 Main areas namely Electricity Heat and Transport. Electriciry can be generaate dvia large renewable projects such as spirit of Ireland. I think our heating needs could be delivered via biomass such as wood pellet and wood chip (we have the best climate in Europe for growing biomass!). That leaves transport. currently we import all petrol and diesel, I have done some research and first generation biofuels such as oil seed rape and bioethanol are not the answer, as they would use all available arable land and still not meet all our needs. Transport is where the chalenge lies most likely second and third generation biofuels. This area should have a large research budget. Energy policy covers a large spectrum, not just electricity.

[RBurke]

Very true gibbonm, what is your thinking on either the move to electric vehicles a la the roadster or using algae ponds for intensive biofuel development, rather than valuable arable land?

[bonnaire]

Energy Policy can start by actually taking ownership of the resources that are there. The approach of FF is to give the resources away to a multinational who then adds the value and takes all of the profit leaving Ireland with a few jobs and probably large deposit in an offshore bank account for a corrupt minister. Take wind power, in Denmark farmers actually own the turbines and sell the power to the state. What will happen in Ireland is that the contracts will be given to a multinational with powers to ride roughshod over local people as happened in Corrib and then sell the power produced to the Irish at full market price.

[RBurke]

What will happen in Ireland is that the contracts will be given to a multinational with powers to ride roughshod over local people as happened in Corrib and then sell the power produced to the Irish at full market price.

I think the farmers are compensated for turbines in their fields without eminent domain as such by paying them a hefty annual rent in Ireland?

[bonnaire]

I read an article about an Island off the coast of Denmark which is a world leader in the use of renewable energy. Shell offered to come in and finance the projects but the islanders wouldn't agree to their terms. There is no protests against wind turbines etc. they all have a stake in them. What worries me is that in the rush to use renewables the wrong decisions will be made and it will become another cause for protests as happened in Corrib. There is no doubt that Ireland has an abundance of wind and rain and if that is a resource then it has to be managed properly so that is a benefit to the people. There are lots of people and companies trying to cash in on renewables so we need to be careful. I would start form the premise that everyone must have a stake in what is being done and it must benefit the area where is sited the most. Proceed with consultations and the involvment of the local community with openness throughout the whole process about costs and contracts. We have seen the approach of FF in this regard cause problems time and again with decisions being made due to the lobbying of big business.