A wind energy testing facility in Co.Mayo will be constructed by an international renewable energy company after it secured planning permission.
RWE, a multinational founded and based in Germany, will develop the first test centre. RWE says the new centre will investigate the potential of airborne wind energy technologies.
Construction of the site infrastructure is expected to begin later this year and the centre will have an operational lifetime of eight years.
The wind energy testing site is in partnership with Dutch company Ampyx power, which is developing the technology.
Airborne wind energy systems are used at altitudes of several hundred metres and have lower infrastructure costs.
Current airborne wind energy system demonstrators have output capacities of between 100kW and 200kW. The Mayo facility will be used to demonstrate a 150kW system, followed later by a larger commercial-scale system.
RWE says that it is exploring further renewable projects and opportunities in Ireland. A planning application was submitted earlier this year for a 62MW onshore wind farm in Lyre, Co. Cork.
LSL News.