November 22nd, 2019
A nationwide student competition to have solar panels designed and installed on the roofs of schools was launched yesterday.
Winners of the Solar Schools contest, run
by Friends of the Earth Ireland (FOE), will receive a 90 per cent grant toward the
installation of solar panels on their roofs.
All Primary and Secondary School students
are qualified to compete. The contest’s closing date is February 14, and
winners will be picked through a combination of an independent panel of judges
and an online public vote system.
The contest was launched with the support
of Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchel O’Connor TD and the chair of
Eirgrid Brendan Tuohy.
Between eight and 16 schools will win
solar panels in 2020 depending on the level of support obtained through the
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Communities Grant
programme.
Next year will be the first time that schools
are eligible to apply for SEAI grants for solar panels, and FOE hopes that the competition
will pave the way for small-scale community eco-initiatives across the country.
Kate Ruddock, FOE’s deputy director, said
that she feels disheartened thinking that eco-conscious, Irish students are
educated in “old buildings powered by fossil fuels”.
“There are so many benefits to
running on solar power generated right from the roof of a school,” she
said, such as helping schools to save money spent on electricity.
“Cash strapped schools are often fundraising just to pay energy bills, so every euro saved is an extra euro for school services,” Ms Ruddock added.
Eirgrid’s Brendan Tuohy said that he was
“delighted” to back a project that would be significantly beneficial
to Irish students and help young people to “lead the change to renewable
energy from within their communities”.
“Eirgrid has ambitious plans to integrate very high levels of renewable electricity on to the energy system over the next decade,” he said.
“It will be a huge effort and it is going to take everyone working together across Government, business, industry and communities,” he added.
The competition’s pilot scheme ran across
five communities in countries Tipperary, Limerick, Mayo, and Dublin last year.
Coláiste Naomh Eoin in Co Galway was among
the winners last year with an idea for a “solar-powered bench” with
USB ports.
Financial support for the promotion, design, and installation of projects will come from the Tomar Trust, Eirgrid, Patagonia, The Irish Wind Energy Association, Conradh na Gaeilge, Elgin Energy, ABO Wind, Tipperary Energy Agency and Community Power.
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