STEPS e-storage solutions

STEPS Business Support Programme will launch in January 2021

The STEPS Business Support Programme will kick start the new EU project in the New Year.

STEPS (Storage of Energy & Power Systems) is a new European project bringing the innovative industry of energy storage to Irish SMEs. Project partners from Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK will increase the energy storage industry in North West Europe (NWE). Each nation will encourage innovative energy storage providers to develop their energy storage solution to become market ready.

Overall, the STEPS project hopes to advise more than 200 energy storage local SMEs on entering new markets in NWE. STEPS wishes to create market pull effects in NWE for new energy storage solutions by engaging with potential end-users needs and increase awareness of solution providers.

STEPS Logo

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Better Energy Communities Grant 2021- Online Information Event

3 Counties Energy Agency (3cea) will host a free online event to introduce the Better Energy Communities Grant which is currently open for applications for the 2021 programme.

Date & Time: Tuesday 24th November at 11am-12pm

Register for the event here.

The free online energy information event encourages businesses and community groups to hear from our experts in 3cea to discuss the benefits of the Better Energy Communities Grant.

Businesses, community groups, GAA clubs, crèche owners, schools and many more interested parties are invited to attend as each are eligible to receive up to 30-50% grant aid for their energy projects.

Our energy expert, Fintan O’Hora will host the event on Tuesday November 24th at 11am. Interested groups will gain the required information and support they need to get their Better Energy Communities Grant Programme (BEC) application over the line ahead of the December deadline. Read more

3cea participate in virtual Toys 4 Engineers event

3cea recently took part in the Toys 4 Engineers event last week as the event went fully digital.

The Toys4Engineers is a national event with huge importance as it showcases the innovative talent in the engineering, pharma and tech industries.

The event has been running for the past four years and has become a firm calendar fixture as it caters for all, from start-ups to multinationals, who attend each year to network, engage in knowledge sharing, and to understand new innovations in the tech world.

The Toys4Engineers event which is organised by Waterford Chamber, in association with Waterford Institute of Technology, is usually run in the WIT Arena in Waterford. However, this year the event was fully digital due to Covid restrictions. Each company participating at the event was asked to develop a short video showcasing their business, products and services. The video would then appear during the Live Stream of the event over the three days, running from the 6th to the 8th of October.

Visit the Toys4Engineers website to see the 3cea videos promoting all aspects of our role within the region.

 

3cea

3cea CEO to speak at EU Regions Week 2020

3 Counties Energy Agency CEO Paddy Phelan will be speaking at the EU Regions Week on Thursday 15th October.

The European Week of Regions and Cities is currently underway. This annual four-day event showcases cities and regions in Europe by highlighting their capacity to create jobs, implement European policy, and show how local and regional level actions are beneficial to European governance.

In the second week of this year’s #EURegionsWeek, our CEO Paddy Phelan will be on hand to deliver a talk on the RegEnergy project. The theme for the second week of the event is Cohesion and Cooperation. Paddy will be a guest speaker in the Partnerships for Renewable Energy Regions Workshop on Thursday the 15th October.

Date: 15th October 2020
Time: 10.30 AM– 12.00 PM (Irish Time)

Agenda:
10.30 – 10.35 Welcome by Svenja Enke | Climate Alliance

10.35 – 11:00 THE FRAMEWORK
Overcoming legislative hurdles in different EU countries

Paddy Phelan | 3CEA, Ireland
Frederik Loeckx | Flux50, Belgium

11:00 – 11:10 Exchange with experts and peer learning

11:10 – 11:15 COFFEE BREAK

11:15 – 11:45 EXAMPLES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS

Innovative institutional, financial, supply-based and other support agreements

Sylvie Mingant | Brest metropole, France
Els van Praet | Ecopower – Citizen energy community, Belgium
Evelina Stoykova | Sofia Energy Centre, Bulgaria

11:45 – 11:55 Exchange with experts and peer learning

11:55 – 12:00 Closing by Svenja Enke | Climate Alliance

Moderator: Svenja Enke | Climate Alliance

For more information on the EU Regions Week, visit their website here.

To learn about the RegEnergy project, watch our Project Partner video:

 

Sustainable Energy Engineering – An insight into John Frister’s Work Experience at 3cea during Coronavirus

John Frister, a Sustainable Energy Engineering Student from WIT, recently completed his work placement with 3 Counties Energy Agency. We were very fortunate to be in a position to deliver John’s work experience virtually as many employers had to cancel or postpone work placements for students due to the global pandemic. We’ve asked John to share his experiences and challenges throughout his work placement journey. Read more

EUCF Workshop

As the deadline for the first call of the EUCF Initiative is early next month, a short follow up workshop is scheduled for Friday 18th September.

The workshop will be held for those Local Authorities that have not yet registered on the EUCF platform but are still considering applying. This session is primarily about allowing different Local Authorities to network with the intention of possibly working together or asking final questions on the initiative. Siona Daly, Ireland Country Expert will host the workshop. Read more

Sustainable Energy Communities – South East SEC Webinar Series

Online Information Events for Communities to be part of the Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC) Programme

The aim of these events is to provide basic information and introduce community groups from the South East to the SEC programme, highlighting the recruitment process, community engagement, grants, and funding opportunities. We will provide helpful tips on how to register as a Community for the SEC programme and what you need to do to be successful.

This webinar series will encourage communities in the South East of the country to engage with the SEC programme. The informative events will take place online with each event focusing on a separate topic.

SEC Webinar Series
The dates, topics and registration links are as follows:

22nd Sept: Recruitment Jane Wickham. Southeast SEC Coordinator | Register here
29th Sept: Community Engagement – Fiona O’Loughlin, Wexford SEC Mentor | Register here
6th Oct: Grants – Yvonne Byrne, Waterford SEC Mentor | Register here
13th Oct: Funding Opportunities – Therese Curran, Kilkenny SEC Mentor | Register here

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3cea’s Dynamic Purchasing System – Online Information Event

We will be hosting an online information event for contractors to be part of our Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

The online DPS Information Event will take place on Tuesday the 15th September from 9.30am-10.30am.

The online Information Event will be seeking contractors to be part of our Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of goods and services for energy and climate action consultancy projects and for the provision of energy efficiency, renewable energy and retrofit works (2 lots).

The aim of this event is to provide basic information and introduce the recently published Dynamic Purchasing System to potential contractors in the energy efficiency, renewable energy and retrofitting field. We will provide helpful tips on how to register as a contractor and what you need to do to be successful.

3cea is committed to delivering the National Retrofit Programme and attracting significant investment in energy efficiency and low carbon projects in the region towards 2030. Through the DPS procurement system, 3cea will be partnering with contractors, suppliers, industry experts, technical specialists and associates to help deliver energy efficiency in the South East and beyond. Read more

We’re Hiring!

We are currently seeking an EU Project Officer to assist with the delivery of our European focused projects. 

We consider ourselves fortunate to be in this current position, as we are currently seeking an EU Project Officer to join our team.

The new role will focus on the delivery of our European projects. The successful candidate will have a collaborative approach, will be well organised, and have an ability to take initiative.

To apply for this role, please do so through our careers page which can be accessed here.

Hydrogen for the Heating Sector

Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE) have produced a paper highlighting the future of Hydrogen in the Heating Sector.

Fraunhofer IEE conducted a study on the future use of hydrogen in the energy system. The study, “Hydrogen in the Energy System of the Future: Focus on Heat in Buildings”, was undertaken on behalf of the Information Centre for Heat Pumps and Cooling Technology (IZW).

The study introduces hydrogen use, highlighting the current and the potential future policies. It continues by ranking the application of hydrogen and evaluates the future demand of this alternative energy source. The study progresses with evaluating the future supply of hydrogen and indicates that a great deal of infrastructure is needed to support the transition to hydrogen in the current energy system. The technical requirements necessary for this implementation is discussed along with the implications for natural gas grids. The study then compares decentralised heat supply with heat pumps and concludes with the key insights into the future of hydrogen in the energy system.

To read the paper in full, click here.