EU Green Capital Valencia will host 2024 edition of European Urban Resilience Forum
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
In two years, just one company will be able to provide the energy grid with 300 megawatts of storage capacity for renewables
On 15 July, Ireland’s Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath indurated one of Ireland’s first battery storage facilities, near Cork. The plant will reportedly store renewable energy and ensure grid stability for one of the republic’s biggest energy providers – ESB. Additionally, it is the first step in their big battery storage expansion.
One of the biggest issues for renewable energy is that power generation is unstable, as peak production is usually during the day, while peak consumption is at night. This is why many countries in the EU are now trying to develop different ways to store the renewable energy they produce, as it gains a larger share of the energy mix.
Battery storage facilities are one way to do it. This is what the new facility in Cork will provide for the local grid, with a modest storage capacity of 19 megawatts. At the same time, according to a statement by the company, the facility will be able to respond to a shortage within 150 milliseconds and provide energy at full power for two hours.
The ESB’s Chief Executive Paddy Hayes was quoted explaining that in the next two years, the company will be able to deliver 300 megawatts of battery storage capacity. In addition to the Cork plant, the company is also developing battery storage facilities in Inchicore, South Wall and Poolbeg, Dublin.
This, Mr Hayes pointed out, will help to deliver a clean and stable energy grid in Ireland’s renewable expansion, as the country is supposed to be 80% powered by renewable energy in 2030. Minister McGrath said that introducing these facilities will help Ireland to expand its renewable energy production.
As the RTÉ reports, similar facilities are popping up all over the country, with a 60-megawatt plant in Monaghan and a 50-megawatt plant in Meath. Furthermore, Microsoft has announced that they will build one in the company’s data centre in Dublin.
The city was concerned about street noise and disturbances to residents
This, however, is likely to change soon
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
This is city twinning for the 21st century
You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
People in both cities got to sit together both in person and virtually
The city was concerned about street noise and disturbances to residents
And the current administration plans to make Jardin del Turia Europe’s largest city green space by extending it to the sea
The aim is to have the public be able to admire the architectural design without distractions
The installation has been thought out with the concept of letting people “talk” to their dearly departed
It’s an urban space that has undergone several large-scale transformations throughout its existence
A US geologist claims to have solved the centuries-old mystery
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team