Use of curtailed renewable energy in Poolbeg

About the project

This project explored how to use existing and planned infrastructure in the Poolbeg area in the most efficient way by examining the potential for coupling and integrating separate aspects of the electricity, heat and the potential hydrogen sector. One of the key problems the project sought to address was how to make use of curtailed or wasted renewable electricity from offshore wind and other renewable electricity sources.

The project explored how district heat with thermal storage, and a separate hydrogen electrolyser, along with curtailed renewable electricity and hydrogen end-use applications, can provide an efficient, holistic and integrated energy system solution that can reduce the quantity of wasted renewable electricity. The project utilised modelling and analysis carried out by Codema and MullanGrid, while collaborating with Dublin City Council and Dublin Waste-to-Energy.

This project aimed to provide insights and guidance to local and national policy makers and public bodies on sector integration applications. The overarching objective was to investigate how the sector coupling of the electricity, heat and the potential hydrogen sector can facilitate our national net zero objective. It also aimed to facilitate the path to zero carbon and minimise curtailment and constraint of renewable generators. In particular, it looked at how to best use ‘curtailed’ or wasted renewable energy available in the area from planned offshore wind, and from the waste-to-energy plant in the area that currently burns general waste.