Client News

A 50 kilowatt wind turbine, part funded by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), is now fully operational at Gurteen Agricultural College providing the college with more than half of their electricity requirements.   The wind turbine, which has an estimated payback period of eight years, will have an annual electricity output of 150,000 kilowatt hours and will offset almost 90 tonnes of CO₂ per annum.

A €60,000 grant through SEI’s Small and Micro-Scale Generation programme was awarded to Gurteen Agricultural College in Tipperary to install the 50kW wind turbine on site as part of an ongoing field trial programme designed to access the market potential of small-and micro-scale technologies in the domestic, agricultural and small commercial markets.

The wind turbine which was produced in Canada and installed by Irish wind turbine supplier RES, is connected into the college electrical system with all power produced consumed on site thereby reducing the amount of imported electricity required by the college. It will also provide a practical example of the benefits of using wind energy in a farm setting for the agricultural students attending the college and the wider farming community.

Commenting on the launch of the new wind turbine at Gurteen Agricultural College, Professor Owen Lewis, Chief Executive of SEI said; “This has been a significant project for SEI in trialling the viability and market potential of wind energy in the agricultural market.  This is a specific technology that has the potential to be replicated right across the country, and has particular benefits for the farming sector. We must continue to maximise our renewable energy resources as we strive to secure our energy independence.”

Mike Pearson, Principal of Gurteen College said; “The installation of the wind turbine at Gurteen Agricultural College means we now will have at least half of our electricity requirements generated on site. Green technology is the future and we are delighted to get the opportunity to become actively involved in this area and reduce our carbon footprint.”

Mark Lowen, MD, Renewable Energy Systems Ltd said, “We are delighted to have been selected by Gurteen Agricultural college to supply and install the 50kW wind turbine . The agricultural sector is of major strategic significance to us and given the educational nature of the site we could not have chosen a better location to launch our solution onto the Irish market.”