Prof Tony Day, new director of the International Energy Research Centre
Prof Tony Day, an expert in energy-efficient buildings and low-carbon technology solutions, has been appointed director of the International Energy Research Centre (IERC), which is based at Tyndall National Institute in Cork.
The IERC itself is an industry-led, collaborative centre that has been set up to drive commercially focused innovations in integrated energy systems.
Its vision is to link up knowledge-intensive international and Irish companies with leading researchers to develop innovative energy solutions for global markets.
Day, a chartered engineer, is joining the IERC from his role as professor of energy in the built environment at London South Bank University.
He has both research and industry consultancy experience in energy technology analysis, as well as the measurement and verification of energy systems performance and energy policy development in the UK.
Day is currently leading the task group for the European standard for energy audits in buildings.
Tyndall chairman Dr Alastair Glass said today that Day’s leadership experience would play a pivotal role in the international development of the IERC in the coming years.
The IERC itself was set up with the support of the Government and involves Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.
Four higher education institutions have also backed the IERC – NUI Galway, University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology and Dublin Institute of Technology.
The IDA’s director of planning Brendan McDonagh described the centre as a “game-changer” as he said it would generate additional investment from multinationals and support new Irish companies in the energy-efficiency related area.
“We anticipate jobs and investments to follow from the commercialised focus of the research work,” he said.
