Ireland

Trane has released a rooftop air-to-air heat pump that can produce between 14.5 kW and 37.4 kW of heat and between 16.5 kW and 38.4 kW of cooling. The new device can purportedly be adapted to cold-climate applications by adding complementary heating sources such as electric heaters or hot water coils.

Power Capital Renewable Energy (PCRE) has secured €240 million ($259.5 million) to build 1.2 GW of solar projects across Ireland. Commercial operations are expected to start in 2025.

The Irish government wants to introduce an unspecified renewable energy quota for the heating sector by 2024. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) recently predicted that heat pumps could cover 20% of the country’s heating demand in 2030.

Allied Irish Banks will buy electricity from two solar parks that NTR is now developing. The power purchase agreement has a duration of 15 years.

Ireland’s new solar measures, first announced in June, are expected to facilitate deployment in the residential and commercial PV segments.

The maximum rebate in Ireland’s new scheme is €2,400 ($2,345) for PV systems up to 6 kW in size. It will remain at this level for 2022 and 2023.

In other news, Alstom tested its hydrogen train for long-distance transportation and the IEA released a report suggesting that hydrogen development may require an annual investment of around $60-130 billion through 2030.

New research from Ireland shows that electrification could lead to more efficient utilization of renewable energy and the national transmission network.

New research from Ireland shows that depleted oil and gas reservoirs may be used to store hydrogen at a cost of $1.29/kg. According to the researchers, underground hydrogen storage may benefit from the technological maturity of the geologic storage of natural gas and CO2, which are associated with decades of established knowledge.

The Irish government has drafted a proposal that would exempt domestic and some non-domestic solar installations from planning permission, in order to make solar installation shorter and simpler, bringing the nation in line with the EU Solar Rooftops Initiative.