PERIGUS Energy (formerly Ørsted onshore) has announced today a partnership with the charity EnergyCloud, to provide up to 40 homes in Donegal with free hot water through surplus renewable energy from its wind farms in Sorne and Flughland.
Through Perigus Energy’s Community Benefit Fund, EnergyCloud, and partnership with Donegal County Council, they will install smart immersion devices in up to 40 homes in the Inishowen area of Donegal. The devices use surplus renewable electricity that would otherwise be curtailed to heat household water tanks, providing free hot water to homes.
Perigus Energy will provide approximately €500 per home, with the €20,000 fund supporting the installation of around 40 devices. 10 devices have already been installed as part of the initiative.
Amy Ahern, Community Liaison Lead, Perigus Energy said: “Our Community Benefit Fund is about creating lasting benefits for the communities where we operate. By partnering with EnergyCloud and Donegal County Council, we are making sure surplus renewable energy delivers a real difference for local households.
“It is a practical example of how renewable energy can support people as well as power homes, and we are looking forward to the next phase of the initiative in Donegal.”
Amy Ahern, Aine McLaughlin, Rosita Mahony and Nadine O’Sullivan partner to bring renewable energy to Donegal Homes.
Alan Wyley, CEO of Energy Cloud, said: “Energy Cloud is delighted to have launched our project in Inishowen with the support of Perigus Energy and Donegal County Council. We are already live with the first few homes and look forward to expanding this pilot delivering free hot water to homes making a real impact in the communities that need it most.”
As part of the next phase of the programme, Perigus Energy and EnergyCloud will work with Carndonagh Development Association to identify and engage more eligible households and ensure the funding goes to those most in need.
The initiative builds on the successful partnership between Perigus Energy and EnergyCloud in Kerry and forms part of a wider ambition to expand the scheme across additional Perigus Energy’s Community Benefit Funds throughout Ireland
Perigus Energy already has a strong presence in Ireland through its existing portfolio of 373 MW of operational onshore wind farms and 179 MW of projects currently under construction across the island of Ireland. Perigus Energy has three active wind farms in Donegal, two in Sorne (near Buncrana) and one in Flughland (near the townland of Druminderry). The wind farms have the potential to power over 18,700 homes in a year.