Energy Needs Ireland (ENI) are hosting a Smart Energy Exhibition in the NDRC (National Digital Research Centre), The Digital Hub, Crane Street, Dublin 8 on Wednesday 28th August 2013 from 3pm-7pm. This is a walk-in event: guests and member of public can arrive at any time during the event and stay for as long as they like.  A timetable of the event is at the end.

The event will be officially opened by the CEO of EirGrid, Fintan Slye, who is very much looking forward to the event. He had this to say about the group:

“I met the ENI students earlier in the summer and they were enthusiastic, full of good ideas and I am keen to see what they have achieved.”

ENI is a summer research group which is based here, in the ERC, under the direction of Prof. Mark O’Malley. ENI 2013 consists of twenty one students from a variety of courses and backgrounds. These range from Engineering and Science, to Commerce. The group comes from various universities throughout the island of Ireland including: UCD, UCC, UL, QUB and TCD.

The group have been researching the broad topic of ‘Ireland’s Smart Energy Future’ and what developments could mean for the future of Ireland’s electricity system. Areas of research include: analysis of plans related to the National Smart Meter Programme (NSMP), government policy, data applications which benefit the domestic consumer and the exportation of electricity to Britain from proposed wind farms in the midlands of Ireland.

At the exhibition, ENI will display the findings of their summer work, including their main recommendations. This will be done in an interactive way, with stands, videos and demonstrations. The students will be displaying a 3D model of the proposed interconnection projects between Ireland and Britain and be able to discuss the Cost Benefit Analysis which was carried out on a full Smart Grid implementation and much more.

Members of industry will also be present at the exhibition, with a view to highlighting the work they are currently doing in the energy industry. These include Siemens, Glen Dimplex, Bord na Mona, SEAI, Cylon Controls, Prepago and Activation Energy. The event will be closed with a public debate on the proposed midlands wind exportation projects between John Reilly from Bord na Móna and Joe Caulfield, an anti-wind power activist. We hope to see you all there.

To find out more information on ENI’s work watch some short videos on their work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKxYET93sco

Or visit their website: http://eni.ucd.ie/

Event Timetable