The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has launched a milestone report on the effects of climate change on Ireland’s marine ecosystems. The document, entitled ‘Irish Ocean Climate and Ecosystem Status Report 2009’, details a number of significant observations recorded in recent years including: increases in sea surface temperature, increased wave heights off the south west coast and an increase in the number of warm water species in Irish waters, ranging from microscopic plankton to swarms of jellyfish. The report is one of three projects funded as part of the Marine NDP Research Programme (Sea Change) under the Environmental Policy Research Measure.

One key finding of the report is that increases of sea surface temperature of 0.6 C per decade have been taking place since 1994, which are unprecedented in the past 150 years. This in turn is linked to an increase in microscopic plants and animals, along with species of jellyfish. Further up the food chain, increased numbers of most warm water fish species have been observed in Irish waters, along with sightings of exotic species such as snake pipefish. Declines in number of seabirds have also been observed which may have a climate link.

“Ireland is strategically placed to play a key role in monitoring ocean-induced changes in our climate and environment,” says Dr Peter Heffernan, chief executive of the Marine Institute. “Geographically the warm southern waters of the Atlantic drift come closer to Ireland than any other country in Europe, where they merge with the cooler northern waters off the coasts of Galway and Mayo. It is here that the predicted biological shifts in marine species diversity or abundance are most likely to occur, making Ireland an ideal laboratory for the study of marine climate change.”

In the long term, the Irish Ocean Climate and Ecosystem Status Report 2009 report predicts that global mean sea level may rise by up to 0.88 m by 2100. This, when combined with the increase in wave heights of 0.8 m that have already been observed off southwest Ireland, could lead to an increased threat of coastal erosion and flooding.

Ocean Acidification – An Emerging Threat

A second report that reviews the effect of ocean acidification in Irish waters – ‘Ocean Acidification: An Emerging Threat to our Marine Environment – 2010’ – has also been completed. This highlights the growing threat to marine life and fragile ecosystems around the coast as a direct consequence of increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere.

The report recommends that a nationally coordinated multidisciplinary marine climate change and ecosystem monitoring programme be established that will enable better evaluations to be made of the threats posed to the marine environment and economy by ocean acidification. It emphasises closer links between climate change, ocean acidification and environmental policy development especially in relation to mitigation strategies to reduce carbon emissions.

The recession may have provided a stay of execution for European energy security but dangers persist, according to Datamonitor. Latest research by the independent business analyst suggests that while improved interconnections within Europe and continuing advances in energy efficiency should ensure security of supply is reasonably well assured, collective reliance on external gas supplies will increase to unprecedented levels.

Kash Burchett, energy analyst at Datamonitor, says: “It appears that the period 2016-20 will see problems emerge. The construction time required for new nuclear reactors and even new combined cycle gas turbine plants, in conjunction with a planned nuclear phase-out and coal-fired generation shutdown, present potential capacity constraints in many countries.”

He adds: “Reliance on non-EU gas supply in the total primary energy mix will be greatest at this point. Should an unforeseeable interruption to supply appear at this time, the consequences could be dire. In light of this, it seems increasingly likely that, although governments have not yet admitted it to their electorates, nuclear phase-out will be delayed in many member states.”

LNG Output

Datamonitor’s research also reveals that Europe’s security of supply hinges to a large extent on the continued expansion of global LNG (liquefied natural gas) output and limited competition from the US for deliveries within the Atlantic basin.

Given the shale gas revolution, this seems a reasonable assumption to make for the next five years, but it becomes riskier after that; well-decline rates may yet limit the long-term impact of unconventional extraction techniques.

Slowing Investment

Furthermore, slowing investment in global liquefaction capacity as a result of the recession will make itself felt around 2017 and Asian (specifically Chinese and Indian) demand for LNG remains a wild card. The current LNG glut may well tip into a seller’s market just at the point at which Europe shuts down coal and nuclear plants and dependence on LNG reaches its peak.

“This reinforces Datamonitor’s conclusion that European nuclear phase out must be delayed,” explains Kash Burchett. “The ‘perfect storm’ brewing on the horizon is well recognized in European capitals and many governments have already announced plans to push back the shutdown of their plants. Those which have not, particularly Spain, Germany and Belgium, need to make the case to their electorates and soon.”

The first Southern Energy and Facilities Management Exhibition will be held in Cork’s new 40,000 sq ft event venue – The ARC Centre on Park Road – on 6th–7th October 2010.

The Southern Energy and Facilities Management Exhibition is designed to put suppliers of alternative energy solutions, energy saving systems and a wide range of facilities management products, equipment and services into direct person to person contact with a targeted audience of decision makers from manufacturing facilities and the built environment in the southern half of Ireland.

The event is timely given the current business emphasis on cost reduction, improved efficiency, recycling and environmentally friendly processes.

While similar events have achieved excellent results in Dublin, few managers and decision makers in the Munster area can afford the time to travel to the capital in the current environment. However, Cork has the highest concentration of high tech manufacturing facilities in the country.

Extensive Programme

The Southern Energy and Facilities Management Exhibition will include a far reaching programme of conference presentation and panel discussions together with a comprehensive exhibition covering these complementary disciplines. As such a significant attendance of those responsible for industrial, commercial, office and institutional facilities in the southern part of the country can be anticipated.

The exhibition offers companies a unique platform from which to meet, network and do business with an audience of key decision makers in search of a range of products, services and solutions that can benefit them in the delivery of cost reductions, improved facilities and a reduction in waste.

Energy Exhibition

The Energy Exhibition will focus on the opportunities that exist to cut costs and reduce emissions through the use of the latest technology, alternative, competitive energy sources and suppliers. The exhibition will be targeted both at the energy industry itself and the commercial user.

Exhibits will include the following sectors:

• Heating and Cooling
• Air Conditioning
• Building Services
• Building Technology Providers
• District Heating
• Energy Management Systems
• Heat Recovery
• Insulation
• Power Producers
• Lighting
• Project Management
• PV & Solar Thermal Energy
• Refrigeration
• Renewable Energy.

Facilities Management Exhibition

The Facilities Management Exhibition will address the needs of those responsible for managing properties in the manufacturing, commercial, civil and public sectors. Considerable savings can be achieved not only through the use of the latest technology but also through the rationalisation of services and the use of outsourcing.

The exhibition will encompass sectors such as: access control & equipment, alternative/renewable energy, asset management, build management systems, car parking, catering, data collection/management/database, environmental monitoring & services, fire safety & systems, heating & ventilation, inspection equipment & maintenance, interior fittings, janitorial supplies & services, lifts & escalators, maintenance services, office furniture/equipment, power & energy, security services & systems, recycling, sewage systems, shredding services, telecommunications and waste management.

The Organisers

The Southern Energy and Facilities Management Exhibition is being run by SDL Exhibitions Ltd, one of Ireland’s longest established event organisers of both trade and consumer events including: Engineering Ireland, IRCHEM, Pharmatex, The Electronic Manufacturing Industries Exhibition, Food Process, Instrumentation & Automation.

For further information contact: Farrah Kelleher on Tel 01 405 5556 or E-mail: farrah@sdlexpo.com.

GT Energy, a leading company that specialises in harnessing deep geothermal energy in the development and provision of renewable heat and electricity, has entered into a Technology Partnership Agreement (TPA) with ESB International (ESBI).

Under the agreement, GT Energy will generate up to 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity using geothermal energy by 2020, and ESBI will assist the company with the design of the generating equipment and grid connection design work. The two companies will work together to share information, expertise and resources to support GT Energy’s plans to develop a number of deep geothermal electricity projects across the island of Ireland.

Geothermal energy is a renewable and sustainable energy source generated from the heat in the earth’s core. It is harnessed by extracting hot water and/or steam from deep underground and using it to generate heat and electricity. Although already widely used around the world in countries such as Iceland, the US, Italy, France and Germany, to date no deep geothermal projects have been completed in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Potential Sites

GT Energy has identified a number of sites on the Island of Ireland, including Dublin, that offer potential for the development of geothermal energy plants. In addition to delivering energy for heating purposes, many of these would have the capacity to generate about 5 MW of electricity. This additional renewable generation capacity would assist in meeting Ireland’s renewable energy obligations and delivering on the National Renewable Energy Action Plan.

GT Energy recently announced that it had raised first round funding through NCB Corporate finance and secured grant aid from the British Government.

“We are delighted to be working with ESBI. Their technical expertise and experience in the area of electricity generation, plant construction, grid connection and knowledge of the single electricity market will be highly valuable to us and will complement our team’s broad experience of identifying, analysing and developing deep geothermal energy projects. This collaboration brings us closer to delivering Ireland’s first geothermal electricity project,” comments Padraig Hanly, managing director of GT Energy.

Pictured at a site in Rathcoole where thumper trucks are gathering seismic data on the deep geological structures in South Dublin are (l to r): Padraig Hanly, managing director of GT Energy and Gerry White, manager, Market and Technology Developments, ESBI.

Renewable Energy

“ESBI is interested in all forms of renewable energy, and is already involved in the development of wind and ocean energy projects. We believe geothermal energy could have very significant potential in Ireland and we will be committing resources to assist GT Energy in bringing its projects to fruition,” explains Gerry White, manager, Market and Technology Developments, ESBI. “This technology is very attractive because it is one of the very few renewable energy sources that is not intermittent. This means that it is not affected by time of day, season or meteorological conditions and is ‘always on’, thus giving it the distinct advantage of being able to deliver base load electricity to the grid.”

Padraig Hanly adds: “Unlike some other renewable energy sources, geothermal energy is likely to get a preferred status for grid connection to the all Ireland electricity grid because most of the projects’ installed generation capacity will be under 5MW, meaning that limited additional networks and capital investment is required to bring the electricity onto the existing grid network.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released projected emissions of Ireland’s greenhouse gases up to 2020.

These projections, produced on an annual basis, give a picture of Ireland’s ability to meet international targets with respect to greenhouse gas emissions and update those published in March 2009. The projections are reported on a sectoral basis and highlight, once again, that the key sectors contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland are agriculture, energy and transport.

“National greenhouse gas projections are important in understanding Ireland’s greenhouse gas profile in the medium term, and in assessing the effectiveness of policy measures designed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases,” says Commenting Dr Mary Kelly, director general of the EPA:

She adds: ”The projections reflect the effects of the economic downturn, and the anticipated recovery, based on ESRI economic forecasts. Even with reductions due to the downturn it is projected that Ireland will still be 2.8 million tonnes per annum of CO2 above the non-ETS target in 2020 taking the most ambitious scenarios set out in Government policies and assuming that forestry sinks are fully included.”

Greenhouse gas emission projections have been produced by the EPA, for both the Kyoto period and up to 2020, under two different policy scenarios, which indicate the potential outlook for greenhouse gas emissions. The two scenarios are a ‘with measures scenario’ and a ‘with additional measures scenario’. Both scenarios are based on SEI’s energy forecasts published in December 2009 which are underpinned by the ESRI’s World Recovery scenario 2009. Agricultural emissions projections are based on data recently received from Teagasc and take into account forecast animal numbers, nitrogen fertiliser use and crop statistics.

Major Challenges

Dr Kelly continues: “The clear message is that major challenges still exist in achieving real reductions in greenhouse gases which should not be underestimated. Failure to deliver on the measures outlined in Government policies will result in higher emissions than predicted. In particular, 20% of the reduction expected in 2015 under the most ambitious scenario, and 35% of that expected in 2020, are anticipated to come from as yet unspecified policies and measures,”

Under the less optimistic scenario, total greenhouse gas emissions are projected to decrease by 6% between now and 2020 (an average reduction of only 0.5% per annum) and even under the current most ambitious scenario the reduction is projected to be 15% over the period (an average reduction of 1.3% per annum).

Comparison With Kyoto Protocol Limit (2008–2012)

The Kyoto Protocol limits Ireland’s total national emissions to an average of 62.8 million tonnes of CO2e per year in the period 2008–2012. This is 13 per cent above the baseline (1990) estimate.

Applying the most ambitious reduction scenario, the Government’s purchasing requirement (or need for additional domestic policies and measures) would reduce to 2.5 Mtonnes of CO2e per annum for each of the five years 2008-2012 as compared to the 3.6 Mtonnes per annum anticipated in the National Climate Change Strategy. Purchases already made by NTMA on behalf of Government, coupled with operation of the ETS, means that Ireland can comply with the Kyoto obligations without any further purchases.

Comparison With EU 2020 Targets for Non-ETS Sector Emissions

A second, and different, set of legally binding targets applies under the EU Commission’s Energy and Climate Package, agreed by EU Parliament and Council in December 2008, and requires Ireland to deliver a 20 per cent reduction, relative to 2005 levels, in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

According to Dr Kelly: “This target is particularly difficult to achieve as it excludes those sectors covered by the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and applies to agriculture, transport, residential and other sectors, where it is much more difficult to achieve reductions. Not all the targets factored into the projections are associated with detailed policies and measures. Now is the time to develop further policies.”

Growth in transport emissions is projected to slow significantly in comparison with the annual growth rates experienced between 1990-2008. This can be attributed to a slowdown in economic growth, increased use of bio-fuels, mobility management and travel plans, E-working, sustainable transport fleets, efficient driving methods and electric vehicle penetration.

Nonetheless it is projected that Ireland will still be some 7.6 million tonnes of CO2e higher in 2020 than our target for that year. Inclusion of carbon sinks could reduce the distance to target to 2.8 Mtonnes of CO2e.

Dr Ken Macken, programme manager, EPA Climate Change Unit comments: “A 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the non-trading sector is going to be very difficult to achieve. The profile of greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland is unusual in the European context, with agriculture currently accounting for 27 per cent of all emissions and almost 40 per cent of emissions in the non-trading sector. This makes it very difficult to effect actual reductions on the scale required in the non-trading sector.”

Dr Macken adds: “It is estimated that forest sinks will sequester in the order of 4.8 million tonnes of CO2 per anum by 2020. The inclusion of forest sinks is therefore critically important for Ireland and will play a significant role in bringing Ireland closer to its 2020 target for the non-ETS sector emissions.”

Retail and telecoms emerged as the most progressive sectors for energy management at Sustainable Energy Ireland’s sixth annual Sustainable Energy Awards, with Dunnes Stores, Heatons, O2 and eircom each taking awards at the all-island event.

Sponsored by ESB Customer Supply, the SEI Awards highlight excellence in business energy management and this year included entries from over 100 organisations. Top prize, ‘Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year’, went to Jonathan Pugsley of Leitrim- based door manufacturer Masonite Ireland, which demonstrated 30% energy savings across their business, slashing their energy costs dramatically in the process.

Other winners include:

* Telefonica O2 Ireland who won ‘Pioneering Renewable Energy Project’ for Ireland’s first self-sustaining base station powered by wind and solar power;

* Dunnes Stores for ‘Inspiring Energy Awareness Campaign’ following a reduction in electricity use of 17% across all 114 stores nationwide;

* ‘Leading Energy Efficiency Project’ for Heatons Dundalk whose new building uses 45% less electricity and is on target to achieve a 30% reduction in maintenance costs;

* eircom who won the award for ‘Sustainable Energy Building Excellence’ for their energy efficient headquarters in the Heuston Quarter in Dublin;

* Wexford Creamery was named ‘Leading Energy Efficiency Project – Large User Winner’.

Energy Savings

In total, projects entered demonstrated energy savings of Eur14 million, with an additional Eur18 million in projected cost savings identified. 2009 also saw a jump in the number of smaller businesses entering the awards across multiple sectors, reflecting the completion by SEI of over 1,500 small business energy assessments over the past two years. Cumulatively, Eur341 million in estimated energy cost savings has been achieved by projects entered in the Awards since 2004.

“These Awards are a welcome encouragement for Irish business, at a time when cost-savings and increased efficiency are at the top of the company agenda. This year’s participants achieved significant reductions in their energy overheads, a pattern which with continued Government support, can be replicated right across our business sector. By making relatively simple changes, all Irish businesses can increase their efficiency, reduce their energy consumption and crucially make real financial savings,” says Energy Minister Eamon Ryan TD.

Reaping the Rewards

“In this the sixth year of the Energy Awards, SEI is particularly pleased at the number and quality of this year’s entries,” comments Professor Owen Lewis, chief executive of SEI: “We saw a marked increase in entries from smaller businesses that are reaping the rewards of energy management. This is further proof that energy efficiency is on the agenda of every business throughout the country regardless of size or sector.”

According to Brid Horan, executive director, Energy Solutions ESB: “The Sustainable Energy Awards have become a catalyst for change. By encouraging all sectors of business to recognise the need for energy management and sustainability, the awards are stimulating awareness and accelerating the rate of practical initiatives that companies are now required to make.”

2009 Sustainable Energy Award Winners:

* Category A: Leading Energy Efficiency Project – Larger User (Annual energy spend >€1M): Wexford Creamery

* Category A: Leading Energy Efficiency Project –Medium User (>€200K; <€1M): Semple McKillop Consulting Engineers – St Luke’s Hospital, Armagh City

* Category A: Leading Energy Efficiency Project – Small User (<€200K): Heatons Store, Dundalk

* Category B: Pioneering Renewable Energy project: Telefonica O2 Ireland

* Category C: Sustainable Energy Building Excellence: eircom Ltd

* Category D: Inspiring Energy Awareness Campaign:  Dunnes Stores

* Category E: Excellence in Coordinated Energy Management programme (Large): Xerox, Dundalk Toner Plant

* Category E: Excellence in Coordinated Energy Management programme (Small/Medium): Institute of Technology, Tralee

* Category F: Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year (Large): Jonathan Pugsley, Masonite Ireland

* Category F: Outstanding Energy Manager of the Year (small/medium): Paul Boylan, Citi

CAPTION:

Telefonica O2 Ireland receiving the award for ‘Pioneering Renewable Energy Project’.

Committed to reducing the environmental impact of all its operations while simultaneously improving efficiency, IKEA has invested €2.2 million on renewable energy and recycling technologies at its giant new store at Ballymun, Dublin, to make it one of the most advanced ‘green buildings’ in Ireland.

IKEA opened its first store in Ireland at Ballymun in July 2009 – the 25th new market within the Swedish home furnishings retailer’s global network. Located on a 12.6 hectare site in the Ballymun Regeneration zone, the new store covers 31,500 sq metres over two floors, which stock the full range of IKEA items totalling 9,500 products.

The environmental and energy efficiency technology incorporated into the new IKEA Ballymun site includes:

• Groundsource heating and cooling system;
• 650 kW biofuel woodburner heating;
• Solar shading to the south facade;
• Rainwater harvesting system;
• Occupancy driven fresh air provision;
• AHUs to provide ‘free’ cooling wherever possible;
• Movement detector activated lighting;
• Building Energy Management System;
• Recycling equipment/system.

Regarding the Eur2.2 million invested by IKEA in renewable energy and recycling technology and systems at the Ballymun site, Charlie Browne, corporate environment manager UK & Ireland, explains: “There were local planning requirements for carbon reduction initiatives to be incorporated but we also have a strategy called ‘IKEA Goes Renewable’ which establishes targets for all new and existing stores. So some were down to planning requirements and other aspects were due to our own international standards.”

Geothermal System

IKEA has spent Eur1.75 million on the installation of a geothermal system which is the most significant investment in ground source technology in the Irish market. By using the geothermal power, sourced from 158 90 metre bore holes drilled under the carpark area, IKEA is deriving at least 44% of the Ballymun site’s total energy requirement from renewable sources. The geothermal system will result in a 65% annual reduction in carbon emissions, which is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 300 average homes.

The rainwater harvested from the roof of the Ballymun store is filtered and used to fill the cisterns for flushing all lavatories on site as well as for landscape watering and water supply to all external taps for cleaning purposes. “This state-of-the-art system is a good example of how IKEA is utilising resources through clever design,” he says.

Similarly, IKEA has installed an extremely efficient waste management system. The largest element of IKEA’s waste-stream is plastic and cardboard, which are compacted and baled on site. Damaged pallets and damaged products are used as fuel for the wood-burning boiler. The 650 kW wood-burning boiler provides hot water for the entire store as well as heating for the warehousing area.

Impressive Recycling Rate

“During the first month of trading the store exceeded its target and recycled 90% of its waste and in September we reached 92%. This compares with a commercial Irish national average of 47.5%,” explains Charlie Browne. “This represents a saving of approximately Eur80,000 per annum for the Dublin store.”

He continues: “We are cost neutral. The store is not spending any money on waste disposal. The revenue we are receiving from the baled cardboard and plastic is offsetting any thing that has to be sent out as residual waste.” Of course, this is in direct contrast to most commercial businesses which spend significant amounts on waste disposal.

IKEA’s stores in the UK are recycling 85% of all their waste. “Although the UK average is 85%, which was achieved last year, some stores are nearly at 100%. So Dublin has stepped up to the plate and we have installed what we know works. Much of that is down to the pre-training and education we do with our co-workers and then providing the right equipment and protocols,” he remarks.

According to Charlie Browne, the 85% recycling rate achieved by IKEA stores in the UK saves the business £1 million a year on waste disposal. In 2003, IKEA was operating 11 outlets in the UK with an average recycling rate of 55% and spending £890.000 on waste disposal. In 2008, with 18 stores achieving a recycling rate of 85%, the waste bill was £760,000. “We now have seven more stores in the estate and bearing in mind increased costs in landfill, transportation and other operation costs, we are actually spending less. We believe we can squeeze out more savings and the goal for us is cost neutrality,” he comments.

Highly Efficient

Because the Ballymun store is newly built and incorporates the latest energy efficiency and waste management technologies, it is one of the most efficient outlets in IKEA’s international retail network. However, many existing UK stores are being retrofitted with energy saving features such as voltage optimisation as part of the IKEA Goes Renewable strategy.

“To encourage existing stores to adopt renewable technology, even though it is more expensive to retrofit, the IKEA Goes Renewable project has extended the capital expenditure payback from the normal level of 3-5 years to 8 years,” Charlie Browne points out. The twin goals of IKEA Goes Renewable are to ultimately use 100% renewable energy and to reduce energy consumption by 25% based on 2005 levels.

“In the UK we have reduced comparable energy consumption by 25% and we are now looking to stretch this to 35% through retrofitting energy efficiency measures, and saving from our energy bill £1.2 million a year which is pure profit to the bottom line to repay those investments” he adds.

“We have also been awarded in December 2009 the UK carbon trust standard after showing an absolute reduction in energy consumption even after adding to the store estate and establishing robust energy management routines in our stores.”

Long-term Approach

New build projects provide an opportunity to design in such features from the start. However, a long-term approach is necessary. “Often construction projects are judged on cost per square meter but the retailer/owner has then to pick up the operational cost. So you may save a few euro per square meter by not fitting phased circuitry, which will allow you to switch on and off lights by zones, or by not installing PIRs into buildings but the ongoing energy cost to the operation afterwards will be significant.” The IKEA UK and Ireland environmental manager continues: “It is important to take into consideration the lifetime of the building and the full operational cost and not to focus purely on the capital cost.”

Commitment to the Environment

IKEA’s commitment to the environment extends beyond the building and day-to-day operation of the Ballymun store. “We have a target on customers arriving by public transport to the store. We are one of the very few retailers that have this as a plan. We have two bus routes serving the store and we encourage customers to use them.”

He elaborates: “IKEA is constantly looking at reducing its overall carbon footprint. We have been doing this for a long time and it is part of our DNA to use resources and clever design to make the operation more cost effective. When we sawed the legs of the first table back in the 1950s it was not about the environment but to be more cost effective by fitting more flat-packed furniture on the trucks, which in turn leads to less trucks on the road.”

Sound Business Sense

Charlie Browne stresses that good environmental practice also makes sound business sense. “A good place for any company to start is by looking at the invoices for waste disposal, energy costs and consumables, such as paper consumption and transport, because that is where the savings are and that is also where the environmental impacts are. It is important to set targets. By reducing your energy bill, you will reduce your carbon footprint, cutting waste disposal costs will reduce your impact on landfill, and tackling consumable costs will also reduce your impact on the environment.” The IKEA UK & Ireland corporate environment manager concludes: “Don’t green-wash by merely paying lip-service to environmental considerations because people will see through it, so make your actions real.”