Dublin Port Company received ISO 50001 Certification in 2016, sealing its commitment to best practice in energy management systems. Solar PV will play its part in meeting the Port’s challenging statutory and regulatory obligations of reduced CO2 emissions and increased energy efficiency by 2020.
The initial installation, commissioned in January 2017, is a 28kw system on the roof of the Maintenance and Services building. It is sized to almost meet the electricity load of the building without running the risk of exceeding it. The project went to tender which Solar Electric won.
Stephen Collier, Maintenance and Services Manager, describes their approach to the project very positively, “They [Solar Electric] were excellent and the installation ran very smoothly. The communication was good which helps.”
Stephen is an engineer and leads up the Energy Team in Dublin Port. The team is comprised of executives from across functions within the company. The Solar PV panels may be too high to be noticeable but the energy team makes sure that all employees know they are there.
Stephen explains “We include the details of all environmental activities in the staff newsletter and I’ll talk about this to anyone who’ll listen. The energy situation is a huge problem for all of us.”
And he isn’t referring solely to Dublin Port Company. Stephen runs what he describes as a ‘very lean energy home’ with solar thermal panels (heating water) and heat pump. He makes his 70km round trip commute in an electric car which he has proudly owned since 2011. Given that level of personal commitment from one of the main drivers it is no wonder that Dublin Port Company have already made more than 10% energy savings since baseline.
The target of 33% remains some way off but Stephen remains positive that they can reach this by 2020. They have partnered with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and meeting the standards of ISO 500001 requires that energy is a central consideration in all design and procurement processes.
If a positive attitude counts in energy efficiency and research shows it does, then Dublin Port Company is well placed to meet its obligations. Solar Electric looks forward to working with Stephen and his colleagues on this and further projects.
Solar Electric is one of the leading suppliers of solar panels in Ireland.