Airtricity gone - disgrace

Nukem

For anyone who doesnt know this that Airtricty were the only real company selling wind powered energy and now they are gone:mad:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-2046921,00.html

Attended a presentation with them a few months back and to say the speaker was a bit disgruntled at the CER and the ESB was to say a little and damn right too.They get very little help from the government and they are heading to Europe as people are a bit more open to renewable energy sources.

What Wind farms we have (notice one coastal:rolleyes:)


One pi$$ed off boarder.
Nukem

ednwireland

they were not selling wind energy just reselling the esb stuff, the problem isnt the esb (well apart from their work practices and salaries) its gov. regulation its in their power apparantly theirs a €1m report onn some ministers desk about breaking them up but no gov is going to put loads of people on the dole (see health service reforms, aer lingus etc)

anyway to get on a hobby horse of mine why should the gov subsidise wind energy over and above any other form of alternative energy i beleive as a mature technology (unlike tidal, biomass, biofuel) it shoul either be a viable technology that can produce electricity without huge subsidies.

I personally beleive the gov. should spend the money on reducing consumption at home by subsidising insulation, solar power on houses which works even in ireland) and generally reducing consumption at home. but wait that wouldnt allow for private compaanies to come into ireland and cream in the money and it wouldn't do much for a future privatision of the esb .

basically the real problem is no joined up thinking the sooner we get rid of grant suckers like airtricity the better i'd rather see energy efficient homes and less windmills on the hillsides.

just my 2c worth

i71jskz5xu42pb

Nukem wrote:

For anyone who doesnt know this that Airtricty were the only real company selling wind powered energy and now they are gone:mad:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-2046921,00.html

Gone where exactly? From the article

timesonline wrote:

It will continue to supply its core market of about 40,000 small businesses.

Nukem wrote:

What Wind farms we have (notice one coastal:rolleyes:)

How about these?


While I'm all for Green energy I don't like the idea of the tax payer being forced to underwrite private companies. I think there's a lot more to this situation than you are outlining. There's PR spin coming from both sides.

Nukem

ednwireland wrote:

they were not selling wind energy just reselling the esb stuff, the problem isnt the esb (well apart from their work practices and salaries) its gov. regulation its in their power apparantly theirs a €1m report onn some ministers desk about breaking them up but no gov is going to put loads of people on the dole (see health service reforms, aer lingus etc)

The ESB got sticky with their tie into the Grid; changed the Kv grid rating they were ment to be on. Besides it isnt ESB who run the grid its Eirgrid isnt it?

ednwireland wrote:

anyway to get on a hobby horse of mine why should the gov subsidise wind energy over and above any other form of alternative energy i beleive as a mature technology (unlike tidal, biomass, biofuel) it shoul either be a viable technology that can produce electricity without huge subsidies.

You'd reckon that but takes 3 years for complete planning to go through plus building so takes longer. Why sould the gov help them Small treaty they have out nowadays - which by the way i think i heard we are gonna have to pay our fine for so nice hit on the old tax payer again

ednwireland wrote:

I personally beleive the gov. should spend the money on reducing consumption at home by subsidising insulation, solar power on houses which works even in ireland) and generally reducing consumption at home. but wait that wouldnt allow for private compaanies to come into ireland and cream in the money and it wouldn't do much for a future privatision of the esb .

Ya that would be productive as well but a little too late IMO

ednwireland wrote:

basically the real problem is no joined up thinking the sooner we get rid of grant suckers like airtricity the better i'd rather see energy efficient homes and less windmills on the hillsides.
just my 2c worth

No more wind farms are supposed to be goin inland anymore only offshore as majority of sites have been exploited inland

PaschalNee wrote:

Gone where exactly? From the article

In answer in the report

It has sent out letters this weekend to its 8,000 domestic users and 3,000 of its larger commercial users telling them that they will be affected. It will continue to supply its core market of about 40,000 small businesses. Airtricity is the only firm competing with ESB in the residential market.

Now you may say that is very small but what other companies like that do we have?
Link is broken sorry - try here http://www.airtricity.com/ireland/wind_farms/republic_of_ireland/operating/index.xml

PaschalNee wrote:

While I'm all for Green energy I don't like the idea of the tax payer being forced to underwrite private companies.

What? Rather than a government funded one that we have been paying into for years and dictate the price of electricty in this country as privitisation only came in a few years ago. And i never said fund them i said help (as in reduce planning time)

PaschalNee wrote:

I think there's a lot more to this situation than you are outlining. There's PR spin coming from both sides.

Well takes two ta tango so who is wrong?

Gurgle

ednwireland wrote:

why should the gov subsidise wind energy over and above any other form of alternative energy i beleive as a mature technology (unlike tidal, biomass, biofuel) it should either be a viable technology that can produce electricity without huge subsidies.

The government currently subsidises oil (yes oil) over any renewable energy at any scale.
Go on, try to buy some solar panels, a wind or river turbine, a heat exchange pump. All charged at 21% VAT
Electricity(oil-generated), like home heating oil is charged at 13.5% VAT.

ednwireland

dont know if i mentioned this 8 years ago i started renovating an old house put in 12-15 inch of insulation wanted to put solar stuff in but the price and payback meant that i would be putting it in on a moral ground not an economic one (the price has come down significantly and i would guess that it would be viable now).
i also replaced an oil boiler before christmas wanted a wood chip boiler the problem is a efficient -ish oil boiler was 800 euro the cheapest wood chip boiler was 5500 euro and only one irish fuel supplier, balcas
so i ended up with an oil boiler even if (or is that when) oil prices double the payback isnt there oil is still really cheap basically.

Nukem

ednwireland wrote:

boiler was 5500 euro and only one irish fuel supplier, balcas
so i ended up with an oil boiler even if (or is that when) oil prices double the payback isnt there oil is still really cheap basically.

Times are changing Gerkros are supposed to manufacturing there own wood pellet boiler for around 2-3000 now - dont think there is a real energy plan for Ireland at the moment and its a shame really

Kelter

This has nothing to do with green issues

Airtricity are pulling out of the domestic market because the current price structure is set up to give us domestic electricity at a relatively cheap price. This is in place to keep the less wealthy among us from not being able to afford it. The CER would like to change the price structure, but it would be political suicide for the current system to change (also it migh kill a lot of oaps and poor etc)

Note that no electricity supplier (energia, esbie, bord gais) supply to domestic, except for ESB customer supply, who are obliged to...