Norman Crowley’s energy firm will invest millions in launching solar energy projects across the world this year, creating 50 jobs in the process.
Irish energy services firm Crowley Carbon will create 50 new roles in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, as part of a €10m investment in solar energy. The new roles will be based at the company’s headquarters in Powerscourt Estate. This move will grow its global employee headcount to more than 250.
Crowley Carbon aims to increase the total solar energy produced in Ireland by 50pc as part of its initial three projects spearheaded under the name Crowley Solar. As of the time of reporting, the firm has already completed a 6MW solar installation in the UK and will also complete projects in Ghana, Mexico, Poland and Ireland in 2019.
Crowley Carbon chief executive Norman Crowley has said the company aspires to install more than 1,000MW of solar energy in Ireland over the next five years for its corporate customers, reducing Irish carbon emissions by 250,000 tonnes per annum in the process.
“Ireland’s position on solar is unfortunately quite poor, with our installed base of solar standing at a mere 8MW in contrast to the UK, with similar sunlight, having 1,600 times more solar than we do,” Crowley explained. “There are many myths in relation to solar that need to be debunked, with a general understanding that because it rains a lot here in Ireland, we have little or no hope of generating electricity from the sun, which is simply not true.”
This new spate of jobs follows on from the expansion announcement the company made in the summer of 2018. Last June, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD, revealed that Crowley Carbon was creating 187 highly skilled roles spread between the aforementioned Enniskerry hub and the company’s other base in Kilkenny.
Crowley Carbon was founded in 2009. It partners industrial and commercial clients with energy-efficient solutions and renewable energy technologies such as solar panels and biomass. It then uses intelligence software to monitor and manage the energy use of more than 400 factories. It works with companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Bunge and General Electric.
