Written answers

Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Wind Energy Generation

Photo of Michael ColreavyMichael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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192. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 413 of 19 November 2013, the role that was played by the ESB and Bord na Móna project management team for the proposed Oweninny wind farm, County Mayo, in the preparation of the new Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland wind atlas; if the new wind atlas has been made available to An Bord Pleanála; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37296/14]

Photo of Alex WhiteAlex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I am advised by the SEAI that in August 2011 the SEAI advertised a Request for Tenders on the Government eTenders website for Provision of Services to Update the Wind Atlas for Ireland. Arising from this process, UK Met Office Consulting Services were selected to carry out the work and issued with a contract in May 2012.

To support the execution of the contract, the SEAI requested Bord na Mona and ESB to provide useful meteorological mast monitoring data from their wind farm sites to UK Met Office Consulting Services. This data was used by the contractor in the validation of the remodelled wind atlas datasets.

The SEAI is currently in the process of updating its online Geographical Information System to make the new wind atlas available to the public. This is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

In the interim, the SEAI has made the new wind atlas datasets available on request to professional Geographical Information Systems users and other organisations. The datasets are available to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) should ABP wish to use them.

The wind atlas was primarily intended as an information tool for local authorities in identifying areas suitable for renewable energy development within County Development Plans. Local authorities have subsequently utilised the SEAI wind atlas as a basis for developing county wind energy strategies.

Photo of Michael ColreavyMichael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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193. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 473 of 2 November 2010, the latest figures by county, based on the new Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland wind atlas, together with the percentage change in the annual mean wind speed between the current SEAI wind atlas and the new one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37297/14]

Photo of Michael ColreavyMichael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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194. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the values of the mean power density of the wind at 50 m, 75 m, 100 m and 125 m above ground at Oweninny and Cluddaun, County Mayo, based on the data in both the current, and the new, Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland wind atlas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37298/14]

Photo of Alex WhiteAlex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 194 together.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has advised that it has a Wind Atlas for Ireland available on its website which displays wind speed maps. The wind speeds are available by location point within each county.

I am advised that average wind speeds per county have no practical application in planning for wind energy projects. I am also advised that the SEAI has not, to date, derived speeds on a county by county basis for the 2013 SEAI wind atlas, but is considering the potential benefits and costs of a future project of this nature.

Set out below are the average annual windspeeds, obtained from the SEAI, for the proposed locations of the Oweninny and Cluddaun wind farm sites at hub heights of 50m, 75m, 100m and 125m, for both the 2003, and the newer 2013, SEAI wind atlases. The speeds are set out in metres per second, m/s.

2003 SEAI Wind Atlas

Oweninny:50m: 8.3m/s 75m: 8.8m/s 100m: 9.1m/s 125m: not available for 2003 wind atlas

Cluddaun:50m: 7.9m/s 75m: 8.7m/s 100m: 9.2m/s 125m: not available for 2003 wind atlas

New (2013) SEAI wind atlas

Oweninny:50m: 6.3m/s 75m: 7.1m/s 100m: 7.7m/s 125m: 8.1m/s

Cluddaun:50m: 7.3m/s 75m: 8m/s 100m: 8.55m/s 125m: 9m/s

Neither the 2013 nor the 2003 wind atlases directly provide the wind energy density at particular locations. The SEAI is currently considering whether the allocation of time and resources to a project of this nature would be worthwhile.

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