Thurles Renewable Energy Project

Uisce Éireann has installed 230 solar panels at the new plant in Thurles to reduce carbon emissions by over 40 tonnes per year.

Uisce Éireann, working in partnership with Tipperary County Council, has recently completed a solar energy project at the new water treatment plant in Thurles Co. Tipperary. This project involved the installation of 230 solar panels at the recently constructed water treatment plant, generating clean, renewable energy for the plant. This project will generate 83,264 kWh (kilowatt hours) electricity per year, improve energy efficiency at the plant and reduce carbon emissions.

Glan Agua MEIC Ltd was commissioned to deliver this project on behalf of Uisce Éireann, with the works completed in December 2020. 

What did the project involve?

As part of the project, Uisce Éireann has:

• Installed 230 photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof of the recently completed treatment plant to generate clean, renewable electricity for the plant.
• Installed all associated infrastructure and monitoring systems.
• All solar panels have a 25-year linear power output warranty, generating energy for now and into the future.

What are the benefits of this project?

The upgrade works carried out as part of this project will:

• Reduce the plant’s carbon footprint, which will equate to a 40 tonnes reduction in carbon emissions.
• Generate 83,264 kWh (kilowatt hours) per year of electricity, which is equivalent to the electricity required to power 20 houses per year.
• The generation of clean renewable energy will lead to a 10% reduction in imported electricity at the site.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency at the plant.  

This programme has been delivered as part of Uisce Éireann’s commitment to improving our energy efficiency. Improving energy efficiency is a key sustainability measure for improving our carbon footprint and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

To date, we have made significant progress on the journey to become an energy efficient, low carbon, sustainable water utility. By 2019, we achieved over 30% improvement in our energy efficiency performance with a corresponding saving of over 75,000 tonnes of carbon. We are on track to meet our target of 33% energy efficiency improvement, putting us in a strong position to meet our new target of 50% by 2030.

This renewable energy installation was integrated at the recently completed Thurles Regional Water Supply Scheme. For more on the project check out the Thurles Regional Water Supply Scheme project page.