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A research fund of €2.5m has been created by the SEAI with the aim of backing the next generation of energy technology.
On the back of the announcement of lucrative deals for Irish wave energy companies, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has announced the creation of the Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) funding programme worth €2.5m.
It aims to develop new energy solutions that can help homes, businesses and communities become more energy efficient and deliver a cleaner energy future. It expands upon last year’s €2m spend on RD&D projects.
The funding programme is open to a wide range of proposal types, the SEAI said, including technology RD&D, field research and feasibility studies.
In addition, this marks the first time that multi-annual projects up to a value of €650,000 will be funded for up to four years. This will facilitate the funding of longer, larger and more impactful projects, but smaller projects with budgets of up to €100,000 and durations of up to one year can also apply.
“SEAI is delighted to grow our investment in the solutions that will shape the energy systems of the future,” said SEAI CEO Jim Gannon.
“Business, academic and technology alumni of the SEAI RD&D programme continue to thrive and garner awards, recognising their innovation and entrepreneurship.
“In 2018, we will increase Ireland’s level of energy-related RD&D through our collaboration with other research funding bodies, by introducing multi-annual projects and by focusing on strategic areas.”
Some of the successfully funded projects from last year included new blockchain technology, according to the SEAI, resulting in the development and prototyping of the SmartBlocks solution by the Nimbus Centre at Cork Institute of Technology.
The SEAI also demonstrated the real-world operation of a rural battery storage network through the eStore project undertaken by Sole Energy in partnership with DP Energy and ESB Networks.
