Displaying items by tag: Maritime podcast

3rd May 2017

Maritime Podcast: Wine – Slaves – Penguins & Seafarers

This week, as always, you’ll get the best and the unusual maritime stories on This Island Nation with Afloat.ie. So click on this link below now, because podcasts are meant to be listened to and when you listen, you are one of ‘the family of the sea’...

But do you ever think of other members of the family.... The seafarers....

I hope you will think more about them after you listen to the Podcast and a man who is dedicating his work to raising public awareness about their importance to those of us who live on land...

And you will also be taken on a voyage between Ireland and France and hear about the development of the wine trade and an explanation, perhaps, of why the Irish have become afficionados of wine!

What you may not know is that this particular trade had associations with the slave trade.....

Away from that pleasant – and unpleasant – aspect of life, there’s also the story of the SOAP Report, released to mark a most unusual marine wildlife journey. But it’s not about soap - it’s about Penguins...

Over now to the Podcast here on Afloat, where there’s a lot more to hear about the maritime world:

Published in Island Nation

Tagged under

Offshore wind

ESB know the importance of offshore wind in tackling climate change and delivering net zero. Ireland has a unique capability given its prime location to take advantage of the potential of offshore wind. ESB are working hard to develop offshore wind projects for the benefit of everyone across society in Ireland and the UK. This includes ongoing engagement with marine users and local communities so ESB can deliver these significant projects.

Offshore wind will play a major role globally in our fight against climate change. It will help to replace energy generated by burning fossil fuels with that from a clean, safe and secure renewable energy source. Ireland’s geographic location on the exposed edge of the Atlantic presents us with a significant opportunity to generate electricity from wind – both offshore and onshore.

Power from onshore wind farms currently provide over one-third of Ireland’s electricity needs. But, whilst its marine area is many times the size of its landmass, Ireland’s offshore wind potential is only starting to be realised. ESB have a coastline stretching over 3,000km but only one operational offshore wind farm – Arklow Bank, with a capacity of 25 MW. In contrast, Belgium’s coastline is only 63km long, but it has already developed more than 2,000 MW of offshore wind. In Great Britain, with a coastline four times the length of ours, offshore wind generation now equates to over 440 Arklow Banks, with an installed capacity of 11,0000 MW as of late 2021.

The Irish Government's target to install 5,000 MW of offshore wind capacity in our maritime area by 2030 is set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021. It also has the objective to source 80% of Ireland’s electricity needs from renewables by the same year. In line with this, ESB is applying its professional and proven engineering expertise to the challenges set within the Climate Action Plan.

ESB are committed to playing a strong role in developing Ireland’s offshore wind potential for the benefit of the people of Ireland. This will be done in consultation with marine users and local communities, and with due care for the marine environment.