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A major new Dublin development by semi-state electricity company ESB is set to become one of the first major commercial construction projects in Dún Laoghaire– Rathdown to meet the area’s “passive house or equivalent” requirement for all new buildings.

Energy minister Eamon Ryan has said that formal preparations for a European electricity supergrid have begun.
 
In Brussels today, energy ministers from ten European countries signed an agreement on the North Seas Countries Offshore Grid Initiative, which will aim to develop a supergrid in northern Europe, increase the amount of renewable energy produced in the Europe's northern seas and facilitate large scale offshore wind projects.

The ESB has launched Halo, the utility's new home energy upgrade and efficiency service. The Halo Installation Service is designed as a "one-stop solution" for home energy upgrades, the company said.

Brian Dowd, ESB’s products and services manager, talks about the company’s new energy strategy and the launch of the next phase of their Halo programme.

Energy minister Eamon Ryan launched the new BE (Bachelor of Engineering) programme in energy systems engineering on Monday in NUI Galway.
 
The new course, which will be based in the new engineering building currently under construction on the campus, has been developed in partnership with members of the energy industry including ESB, GE Energy, Airtricity, Bord Gáis and Wavebob.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has announced that Ireland's renewable energy production is growing, and claimed that Ireland is "one of the world’s leading countries in the use of wind energy for electricity generation".

The ESB's Home Insulation Scheme aimed to upgrade the homes of 1,000 pensioners on fuel allowance last year - it ended up reaching almost three times that number, reducing carbon emissions and improving the lives of many. Lenny Antonelli found out more.

Up till now, the activities of semi-state energy companies like Bord na Móna, ESB & Bord Gais have not won the favour of environmentalists. Richard Douthwaite explains how that situation is destined to rapidly change, and exclusively reveals details of the ambitious new green direction being adopted by Bord na Móna.

ESB yesterday announced a series of initiatives to create up to 6,000 new jobs and training opportunities. Up to 3,700 new jobs will be created outside the company in Ireland in sectors such as smart networks and smart metering, wind energy, electric vehicles, home insulation and new sustainable technologies.

The announcement in 2007 of the introduction of Smart electricity metering led to widespread hope that Ireland could set a global example by empowering consumers to cut electricity use and generate their own renewable electricity. John Hearne investigates current progress on the initiative, and discovers signs that Ireland’s approach to smart metering could represent a missed opportunity.

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan has welcomed the approval by the Board of ESB of a Strategic Framework to 2020 which should see the electricity supplier halve its carbon dioside emissions.