FuturEnergy Ireland has received a planning grant from Donegal County Council for its first stand-alone battery project, Ballynahone Energy Storage. This decision reinforces Ireland’s commitment to increase renewable energy sources, which are crucial to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels, improve energy security and meet climate action targets.
Battery storage is a vital part of Ireland’s green energy transition. It is essential for the country to store excess renewable energy during times of high output and provide the renewable power back into the Irish grid system when it is needed most: for example, during extreme weather, periods of low/no wind or grid outages. This will also relieve grid congestion issues faced by wind and solar projects, reducing the need for new overhead power lines, and provide reliability and resiliency to the grid system while delivering energy at low cost.
Ballynahone Energy Storage, located near Buncrana in Co Donegal, has been designed to be sensitive to the surrounding environment. The proposed development will use iron-air technology, which can release energy for up to 100 hours at full charge, has the potential to accelerate Ireland’s green transition by creating a consistent, reliable, homegrown supply of renewable electricity.
This iron-air technology prioritises safety. The active components are some of the safest, cheapest, and most abundant materials on the planet — low-cost iron, water and air. The iron-air battery has none of the fire or ancillary risks that can be associated with other battery technologies. In iron-air batteries, the active components are submerged in a water-based, non-flammable electrolyte similar to what is found in AA batteries. This battery technology will complete a stringent process of demonstrating compliance with all applicable EU and national regulations before deployment.
To learn more about Ballynahone and iron-air storage, please visit: www.ballynahoneenergystorage.ie
