EirGrid chief executive Fintan Slye with University College Cork's Peter Hourihane, winner of this year's top master's graduate in sustainable energy award by EirGrid, at EirGrid's National Control Centre, Dublin
University College Cork’s (UCC) Peter Hourihane has won this year’s top master’s graduate in sustainable energy award by Ireland’s electric power transmission operator EirGrid.
Hourihane (30), from Cork, received the highest results in UCC’s master’s graduate in sustainable energy for his thesis in the area of tidal energy and was presented with the prize at Eirgrid’s National Control Centre in Dublin.
His thesis focused specifically on the hydrodynamic design of a tidal energy converter. Having now completed the programme, he is working in the Marine Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) Centre in UCC.
Now in its seventh year, the EirGrid prize for UCC’s top master’s graduate in sustainable energy will now see representatives from EirGrid and UCC engage in discussions about other potential research collaborations in the future.
“Ireland is playing a world-leading role in integrating high levels of renewable energy onto the transmission system,” said EirGrid chief executive Fintan Slye.
“The prospects for renewable energy in the electricity sector in Ireland, as part of the fuel mix over the next decade are positive, and having highly skilled engineers with knowledge of sustainable energy will be very important.’’
