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The Dingle Peninsula DPA/PA Images

Dingle residents share in €350,000 of future ESB technologies

The ESB established the ‘Dingle Project’ to pinpoint how Ireland’s electricity will be distributed in the future.

FIVE HOMES AND businesses on the Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry will form part of the ESB’s first major sustainable technology project. 

The utility’s ‘Dingle Project’ is a three-year €5 million initiative which aims to pilot new ways of providing electricity and energy across the region. 

The scheme was established to pinpoint how Ireland’s electricity will be distributed into the future. 

As part of improvements to the peninsula’s electricity network, five homes and businesses will share €350,000 worth of sustainable technologies between them. 

“Ultimately, where we’re going as a country, electricity and energy are becoming cleaner all the time,” ESB spokesperson Paul Hand said. 

Those chosen by the ESB in the local community include a business which set up in 1875 as well as more recent residential builds. 

Technologies due to be installed include solar panels, battery management systems and electric vehicles chargers.

It’s understood the project will include deep retrofits to facilitate the installation of ultra-efficient air source heat pumps, too. 

“Once we can get these technologies and the wider grid working well together with fewer outages than we have now,” says Hand, “then we’ll look at the rest of the country.”

There is a “two-prong” approach to the ‘Dingle Project’, the ESB said. 

First, there is tackling network issues – installing sustainable technologies over three years across the peninsula. 

Then, there is community engagement – persuading locals to move towards new energy sources. 

“These five [homes and businesses] will closely monitor their electricity usage as these devices are installed. It’s to give them a sense of the future,” says Hand. 

Solar Energy Plant in Germany Solar Panels DPA / PA Images DPA / PA Images / PA Images

The Dingle peninsula is essentially a litmus test for the rest of the country.

It provides a good sample size. There’s are nearly 4000 homes across the peninsula and a mixture of urban and rural with electricity usage rising and falling with the seasons. 

“It’s also exposed to the Atlantic Ocean and Atlantic storms,” Hand says. 

That means occasional blackouts which can be countered through new technologies. 

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    Mute Paul Horgan
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    May 11th 2013, 7:28 PM

    Small point to note. The money was taken from prepaid visa and mastercards. To say money was taken from customers is factually incorrect. The money was taken from the banks. Which is an interesting juxtaposition.

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    Mute Hugo Sanchez
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    May 11th 2013, 7:33 PM

    Juxtaposition: now there’s a word ya don’t hear everyday

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    Mute graham galvin
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    May 11th 2013, 7:55 PM

    @paul exactly.i dont see the problem here.banks rob from people.people rob from the banks.everyone is a victim on the merry-go-round :-)

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    Mute Robin Hilliard
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    May 12th 2013, 12:10 AM

    Two other small points to note:

    1. This was news in February:

    http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL6N0BQ1C720130226?irpc=932

    2. The compromised bank is in Oman, not UAE.

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    Mute BoyLeonZ
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    May 12th 2013, 2:20 AM

    I like fluffy bunnies

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    Mute Stephen O'Neill
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    May 11th 2013, 10:34 PM

    It’s a drop in the ocean compared to the €60bn+ fraud that was carried out against the Irish people.

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    Mute Daniel Wilson
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    May 11th 2013, 10:49 PM

    Haha you crack me up Stephen, you make a very original point there about how the irish people are paying for a bailout

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    Mute Justin Healy
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    May 12th 2013, 12:11 AM

    Sad but so true.

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    Mute Patitas
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    May 11th 2013, 8:50 PM

    The Journal is not about breaking news. It is about the readers enriching and adding value to the stories through thoughtful and sometimes fun comments… not always achieved though…

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    Mute Pat_Package
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    May 12th 2013, 4:24 AM

    Couldn’t agree more. Half the time its the comments I’m here for.

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    Mute Aisling O'Regan
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    May 11th 2013, 7:55 PM

    Get your act together Journal this was news 2 days ago

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    Mute Joe OShea
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    May 12th 2013, 2:40 AM

    Better late than never.

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    Mute Shane Hickey
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    May 11th 2013, 8:00 PM

    This was in the daily mail, the guardian, the BBC, sky and itv yesterday. Why is it only appearing in journal tonight?

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    Mute Frank Brady
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    May 11th 2013, 7:53 PM

    Ancient news

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    Mute mcgoo
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    May 11th 2013, 9:12 PM

    Some f*cker tapped my credit card today….not happy…fair play to BOI for being on the ball…

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    Mute rmcd66
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    May 11th 2013, 8:37 PM

    The journal is letting standards drop :-)
    Bet no one from The Journal will comment !

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    Mute Ciaran Phelps
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    May 11th 2013, 8:47 PM

    But they’re great at letting us know what we were listening to in the 90′s.

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    Mute Law Issa
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    May 12th 2013, 12:00 PM

    horrible amount of comments complaining that this isnt breaking news….so what!!!! is your brain so brainwashed by the internet and sky news-ology?

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