(1888PressRelease)
February 27, 2009 - The organisation, which is based in County Mayo, said the ability to sell electricity to the grid was an important step for the renewable industry but also for job creation.
Among the measures announced today is a guaranteed price of 19 cent per kilowatt hour of electricity produced. The feed-in tariff will apply to the first 4,000 micro-generation installations countrywide over the next three years. Eligible installations include small scale wind, photovoltaic, hydro and combined heat and power.
Established in 2006, NETA has developed specialist training programs for both future Instructors and Installers of Wind Turbines, Solar Photovoltaic and Micro-Hydro systems. To facilitate the uptake of employment opportunities in the sector on the back of the Ministers announcement, the SEI-approved installer academy announced today that Instructor and Installer courses will start from next Monday 2nd March.
Paul McCarthy of Teagasc said that Minister’s Ryan’s announcement presented farmers with a new enterprise opportunity.
He explained, “Farmers already have the land and with additional training can acquire the knowledge, not just for installation but for site survey, product choice, project management and how to incorporate this into their existing business model. Teagasc intend to play a leading role with its members in the development of this new expertise and would expect farmers to be a significant majority of both the grant and tariff allocation of 4000 as announced by the Minister today.”
According to John Moran, General Manager of NETA, “Micro-generation is a highly regulated market, with safety and competency all important. Ireland has a wind resource which will challenge the best of equipment so it is important that we do not use the consumer to test the industry. There is much expertise in Ireland as it is a leading player in Wind Farms and it is important that we filter this knowledge into training programs at domestic level to ensure high quality growth in this sector.”
Mr. Moran noted that the industry created 250,000 jobs in Germany when it was launched.
“This announcement will have a significant impact on getting our electricians and construction workers into new areas of employment. It is important that we train people to the highest international standards. With micro-generation installations being classified as controlled works under the CER rules since Jan 2009 and unless installers are competent and know all these rules and regulations, their customer may be refused an export meter which is required to calculate the tariff,” added Mr. Moran.
Established in 2006, The NETA centre is Ireland’s only carbon neutral training centre of excellence in renewables and is located in Mayo, a County with one of the best wind resources in the EU and which also hosts the new National Wave Test centre. The centre hosts a vast array of equipment including Solar Photovoltaic, Wind Turbines and a large Hydro Plant on the national grid.
The upcoming training courses have been developed specifically for the Republic of Ireland which has unique climate, legislative and regulatory requirements including a robust grid connection process requiring certification by a Registered Electrical Contractor under the controlled works process. The courses are largely practical in nature with skills such as wind turbine towers, solar photovoltaic roof installations and wind turbine assembly. Courses are already heavily booked and some subsidized courses are available in the initial phases.
For more see www.neta.ie
Notes to Editor:
- John Moran is available for interview and further comment. Photograph opportunities may also be arranged on request. Please contact Mark Dunphy of Dunphy Public Relations on 086-8534900 or media ( @ ) dunphypr dot com dot
Mark Dunphy
Dunphy Public Relations
www.dunphypr.com
media ( @ ) dunphypr dot com
00353-868534900
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