Spiritofireland.org - suggests energy independence in five years and much more

[Vega1447]

The Spirit of Ireland team appreciate all comments and feedback.

We encourage you to register your thoughts and interest through the contact page on the website, even indicating if you would like to be involved in this group. There are over 50 professionals, from electrical engineers, energy specialists, consultants, entrepeneurs, academics from various disciplines, architects and enviromentalists in the team and there is an enormous amount of technical detail and support for this proposal, much more than we could post in a launch. We have widespread support from key interest groups already, in fact, we have had no opposition to date. The proposal has been through extensive technical and economic analysis by several large external consultancies and agencies and has huge credibility.



I understand the frustrations about lack of detail, but these are not technical, financial or economic details without the support and endorsement of a great number of well authorised experts in the area. we believe this project is achieveable, within budget, within the timescales and with all the benefits suggested and we are looking for people to help, to question and to support the project.



Kind Regards

Auser, that (no offence intended) was an extraordinarily amateur posting for (?) a spokesman for a group that propose to dispose of Billions of Euro and transform our economy.

I'm sorry but the word Steorn (mentioned by a different poster on this thread) is coming more and more to mind.

And this battered, bruised country cannot afford any more snake-oil salesmen.

It is up to you guys to *quickly* go public, assemble your specialists and make your presentation.

If you "do a Steorn" and spin things out people will draw the obvious and correct conclusion...

Prove the sceptics wrong...

[Vega1447]

Finbar 10

Your calculations are basically correct.
However average electricity consumption in 2006 was 70kWhrs/day or about 3000 MW not 4000 MW.

The whole argument about this idea is not whether it can power Ireland or Europe.
The question is how economically can you build storage to store the spare capacity from wind farms.

This idea is a very economical way of building a pumped storage system close to the best sites for wind farms because as you recognise, we have sites at a sufficient height to make them very capital efficient.

The feasability of the basic idea does not depend on whether it can power Ireland or Europe.

So long as a reservoir is matched with sufficient wind farm capacity to provide power at an economical cost, then it doesnt matter if it only powers Donegal or Ulster, it is a worthwhile project.

Thats the point - *is* it economical?

SpiritofSteorn (I hope that I am proved wrong) need to produce a detailed prospectus - this is a much less trusting country than 5 years ago...

BTW the Steorn website Steorn - Free, Clean and Constant Energy is still online despite never delivering on *any* of their promised "free, clean and constant energy".

[Christel]

I have only had a quick scan of the website but if this can be done it would be excellent. Cutting foreign imports of fuel, stabilising energy costs, reducing carbon emmissions and one added bonus would be that it would be based in the west, bringing much needed investment and development.

Even if they could only achieve a fraction of it, it would have benefits.

Still though, I find it hard to see how they could build enough of the Infrastructure in just 5 years. How many of these setups would be required.

According to their ad they only need to build "simple rock dams" in glacial valleys to fill them with water. This wording clearly intends mind association of Irish stone walls... Clever ad. Suspicious.

[Thranduil]

It seems like a nifty idea. Now what we need is a feasability study and hard science and engineering analysis from experts to determine it's viability. I can understand the temptation to mention the name 'Steorn' because this is a new idea promoted by a website but in fairness they are not promising to disobey the first law of thermodynamics!

One drawback i can see is that land based wind generators are unsightly and could ruin the picturesque western coastline. Is it possible that the reservoirs could be used to generate marshland for wildlife around their periphery?

[Ah Well]

It seems like a nifty idea. Now what we need is a feasability study and hard science and engineering analysis from experts to determine it's viability. I can understand the temptation to mention the name 'Steorn' because this is a new idea promoted by a website but in fairness they are not promising to disobey the first law of thermodynamics!

One drawback i can see is that land based wind generators are unsightly and could ruin the picturesque western coastline. Is it possible that the reservoirs could be used to generate marshland for wildlife around their periphery?

Personally I don't like the look of wind generators at all - ruined many a picturesque area already imho ... but one of course would have to consider a "sacrifice" such as this if it worked to the betterment of all. As far as I can remember, these guys were saying on Kenny's Show today that the wind generators could be placed at sea if needed so that would enable one to get over the ruining the scenery of an area theory. Also I think they said that just 2 of these hydro plants/dams would be sufficient to generate all the energy required for this country - that's basically 2 valleys. Any more if installed would be for energy which could be exported

[cactusflower]

I'm very suspicious of this proposal.
There is only one person named on the 'our team' section of the web site the Russian academic whose speciality is in other fields. There is no address, no phone, no office, no organisation. Maybe it is all under construction... maybe.
Also, the idea itself doesn't hold water (s******************************). Sea-water lakes in the mountains would destroy, the water table, and all the land below them down to the sea.
But I hope to be convinced otherwise.

Your intuition may well be right. My antennae are twitching too. I was at an event today at which Eddie Hobbs flogged this non stop, and tried to corner Eamon Ryan into expressing support.

The principle of this is very sound, but the whole manner of its presentation and the suggestion that 80% of our energy needs could be delivered in five years is very suspect. Site selection, planning, design and environmental impact assessment would take that. Then there's site aquisition and construction. There would be environmental costs. The use of salt water might be a problem.

The grid isn't ready for it - crucially, Ryan admitted today there were problems with the grid and opposition to doing the necessary work on it. The suggestion that Government is giving this backing is false.

Ireland has the best potential for wind energy in Europe and the lack of action on developing the grid and shifting to renewables is imo seditious. With the interconnector we should be planning to be a net exporter of renewable energy. The ESB is busy tying us in to carbon fuel contracts.

We need a real plan for energy self sufficiency. The Greens are actually an obstacle as they give the impression that they are doing something when they're not.

[Thranduil]

Personally I don't like the look of wind generators at all - ruined many a picturesque area already imho ... but one of course would have to consider a "sacrifice" such as this if it worked to the betterment of all. As far as I can remember, these guys were saying on Kenny's Show today that the wind generators could be placed at sea if needed so that would enable one to get over the ruining the scenery of an area theory. Also I think they said that just 2 of these hydro plants/dams would be sufficient to generate all the energy required for this country - that's basically 2 valleys. Any more if installed would be for energy which could be exported

If it's as good as you suggest then i personally cannot see an Irish Government going ahead with it as laid out on that website. I cannot see them doing it as a state project, rather i could see them giving permission to a private corporation to build it and then that corporation selling Ireland it's energy at full price, later exporting it's excess energy at full price too. The idea of the Irish people profiting from our natural wind resources seems unlikely to me, just as with toll bridges, historic homes and our oil and gas i think it far more likely a well placed businessman would benefit. and we would be stuck with the unsightly wind farms...After all (and this is the second time i have said this in the environment forum this week).. Norway we are not.

[Ah Well]

If it's as good as you suggest then i personally cannot see an Irish Government going ahead with it as laid out on that website. I cannot see them doing it as a state project, rather i could see them giving permission to a private corporation to build it and then that corporation selling Ireland it's energy at full price, later exporting it's excess energy at full price too. The idea of the Irish people profiting from our natural wind resources seems unlikely to me, just as with toll bridges, historic homes and our oil and gas i think it far more likely a well placed businessman would benefit. and we would be stuck with the unsightly wind farms...After all (and this is the second time i have said this in the environment forum this week).. Norway we are not.

Again, typing only from memory as to what these 2 guys were saying this morning on Kenny's Show;

1. They believed that if the Project got off the ground and started that private funding should be possible with no drain on State Resources.

2. That an area would only be used if the local community were agreeable to it and that the local community should get a share in the profits thereafter as a percentage.

3. That the energy was a natural resource and the benefit should be shared by the people of the country - so they suggested setting up a PLC and allowing the public to take shares in as many or as little as they wished and benefitting thus

And I know I know... all sounds great in theory and all that

[Vega1447]

Energy project offers solution to economy | Irish Examiner

AN energy project could make Ireland energy independent within five years and see us exporting energy in a decade.
According to Spirit of Ireland, who are behind the project, the solution to the economic crisis may lie in harnessing Ireland’s huge wind energy potential.

The first phase of the project promises energy independence for Ireland within five years, with a €10 billion boost to the economy. The second phase will see energy exports of €3bn to €5bn per year in years six, seven and eight, or up to €50bn over the following 10 years.

Over the past six months, a team of top engineers, academics, architects, geologists, hydro-geologists and other experts have been working intensively on an energy proposal by Prof Igor Shvets of Trinity College.

Who *is* Graham O’Donnell?
This guy?:
Orbiscom shares worthless, Goodbody informs investors: ThePost.ie

[DCon]

If it's as good as you suggest then i personally cannot see an Irish Government going ahead with it as laid out on that website. I cannot see them doing it as a state project, rather i could see them giving permission to a private corporation to build it and then that corporation selling Ireland it's energy at full price, later exporting it's excess energy at full price too. The idea of the Irish people profiting from our natural wind resources seems unlikely to me, just as with toll bridges, historic homes and our oil and gas i think it far more likely a well placed businessman would benefit. and we would be stuck with the unsightly wind farms...After all (and this is the second time i have said this in the environment forum this week).. Norway we are not.

If it is true, FF will already have a FF donor lined up to profit from building and running this.

I hear there is a very cash rich FF man called Bert Ieahern who would love to find a way to profit from Ireland's people and resources.