Engineers TV

Planning has been approved by Donegal County Council for two renewable, solar powered, electric vehicle charging stations with additional energy storage capacity at the Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) campus car park, opposite the main college building.

One of first third level campuses to showcase renewables

The pioneering project, which is funded under the EU Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme, project SMARTrenew, is aimed at showcasing renewable energy in the community as well as tackling Ireland’s lagging performance in the transition to the electrification of transport. The pilot will see LYIT become one of the first third level campuses to showcase renewable powered, on-site, EV charging infrastructure in Ireland. 

Led by the WiSAR Lab at the Letterkenny Institute of Technology, SMARTrenew is funded under the EU Interreg, Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme 2014 – 2020, with an allocated budget of €1.6 million. The primary objective of SMARTrenew is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of renewable energy sources and implement innovative and sustainable energy storage solutions through transnational co-operation in the partner regions Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Iceland, and Finland. 

Leader of project SMARTrenew and academic director of the WiSAR Lab, Dr Nick Timmons said that the slow uptake of electric vehicles was a particular challenge in rural Ireland: “While a recent report by the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) scored Ireland favourably in overall readiness to meet our ambitious 2030 decarbonisation targets, strong concerns were highlighted regarding our adoption of electric vehicles.

"In fact, the report ranked Ireland joint last in the implementation of EV charging infrastructure across 12 EU countries. The issue is amplified in rural Ireland with most of the existing charging facilities clustered around urban areas.

“In the northwest, we are also heavily reliant on private transport with recent data from the Western Development Commission revealing that 38.1% of Donegal households have at least two cars, so this pilot aims to tackle a number of challenges simultaneously.

'Solar array combined with battery storage'

“The project, conducted under SMARTrenew, will showcase a solar array combined with battery storage to facilitate slow charging stations, aimed at the all-day electric vehicle parker, powered by renewable energy. Furthermore, a display meter dashboard will be installed inside the main LYIT building, which will showcase to staff, students and other stakeholders, the power savings and usage of the facilities over the project lifespan, highlighting the cost benefit analysis.

“This pilot project will not only serve to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles in the northwest, but it will also showcase the benefits of renewable energy and energy storage in the wider community. 

“With the number of electric vehicles on Irish roads set to significantly expand in the coming years, the rapid roll-out of EV charging infrastructure is crucial. Ireland has pledged carbon neutrality by 2050, and central to realising those ambitions will be improving energy efficiency, increasing the uptake of renewable energy, and accelerating the decarbonisation of transport."

The LYIT EV charging pilot will be presented by Dr Nick Timmons at the SMARTrenew virtual Pilot Showcase Event on December 2, at 1pm.  

Donegal National Roads Office has been awarded the much sought after CPD Accredited Employer Standard by Engineers Ireland in recognition of its continuing professional development (CPD) strategy.

Donegal National Roads Office is a regional Centre of Excellence for the project management, design and delivery of major annual and multi-annual programmes of work, including new National Road development, as well as all aspects of network management including bridges, pavement, safety and route signage, and delineation.

Active travel/greenway initiatives

The body is set to play a key role in the national delivery of Climate Action goals, including modal shift through public transport and active travel/greenway initiatives, decarbonisation through whole life sustainability, network efficiency and enabling alternate fuels.  

L-R: Brendan O’ Donnell, director of roads and transportation, Donegal County Council; Damian McDermott, senior engineer, Donegal National Roads Office; John McLaughlin,CEO, Donegal County Council; Cllr Jack Murray, cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council; Garrett Doherty, senior executive engineer, Donegal National Roads Office

“The Donegal National Roads Office is proud to become an Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer,” said Damian Mc Dermott, senior engineer, Donegal National Roads Office. 

“We are committed to achieving excellence in our work through the promotion, development and maintenance of a highly creative, innovative and adaptable engineering team capable of exceeding the expectations of our customers and stakeholders. Achievement of the Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Standard endorses this commitment as we seek to expand and recruit further engineering talent through Donegal County Council.”

Highlighting the Donegal National Roads Office commitment to Continuing Professional Development, Mr. Mc Dermott continued: “The Donegal National Roads Office strongly supports Continuing Professional Development, which is evident in our existing Quality Management Systems and Performance Management Development System.

Fully integrated and interactive

The Engineers Ireland CPD Accredited Employer Standard provides an excellent Framework into which our existing standalone CPD systems can be incorporated and further developed into a fully integrated and interactive CPD system. It will broaden our traditional view of what constitutes CPD, thereby allowing our Engineering Team to record the breadth and depth of CPD which already occurs, identify competency gaps and developing multi-annual CPD strategies.”

Caroline Spillane, director general of Engineers Ireland, said: “I wish to congratulate Donegal National Roads Office for their dedication to professional development and achieving CPD Accredited Employer status.

"Investment in professional development is essential for organisations to grow and develop their people to achieve both organisational and individual objectives. It is clear that Donegal National Roads Office has a strong commitment to developing its people and will continue to benefit from the strategic approach facilitated by the CPD Accredited Employer Standard.” 

Given that the Christmas season is almost upon us, we would like to highlight that one of our members, Éamonn Coyle a procurement engineer with Priority Construction Ltd, has created a beautiful calendar in Irish, Féilire 2021.

Proceeds from the sales (€10 per copy) will go to two charities, the Peter McVerry Trust and St Vincent de Paul.

With orders already coming in from Australia, North America, Canada, England and Scotland, Féilire 2021 promotes the Irish language and highlights our coastal and inland waterways, harnessing Coyle’s photography skills.

It features beautiful images including some taken from near the hinterland of Brinaleck, Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal – Coyle’s native county.

With support from Priority Construction under its corporate social responsibility programme, he utilised the company’s facilities in Clontarf to produce the calendar including printing and creating some promotional videos. 

Gary Byrne a native Irish speaker, and poet and broadcaster Ciara Ní É, assisted with translation and proof-reading. This Irish-made product with a fundraising target of €5,000 has been truly a collaborative effort.