A Co Cavan pub is to seek planning permission to use a world-first technology that would allow the premises run on power from the river outside its front door.
The technology is a small, floating turbine designed by Limerick firm GKinetic.
It operates similar to the turbines used in major hydroelectricity plants, but these units – or pods – are just a couple of metres wide and can work in less than a metre of water.
They are not fixed to the riverbed, so they can be lifted and repositioned easily. They also have sensors that tell them to move out of the way to let unexpected debris, boats or other objects pass by.
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Fergus Murphy of Murph’s Gastro Pub in Butlers Bridge, Co Cavan, said he was hopeful they would be the answer to soaring electricity bills.
“We are experiencing higher and higher energy bills and more uncertainty about our future energy security. Meanwhile, we’re watching energy literally flowing past us out the window,” he said.
According to GKinetic’s tests, the Annalee River should give Murph’s at least 70,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
That is around 15 times what the average Irish household uses, so it would meet a lot of the pub’s electricity needs.
“It’ll produce electricity 24-7, year-round, but September to April would be the most productive time because there’s more rain and the river flow is greater,” said Róisín McCormack, co-founder of GKinetic.
“That’s perfect because that’s when you’re putting on the heating and you need it most.
“It would be a fantastic match with solar because those are the months when solar panels produce less.”
Depending on how wide a river is, an array of linked pods could be installed.
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While acknowledging that the Butlers Bridge site will have to prove itself, McCormack has high hopes for the technology.
“If successful, the implications for the 3,000-plus pubs and riverside businesses in Ireland to replicate this solution are huge,” she said.
“Our biggest blockage at the moment is regulation. Because our technology hasn’t been done before, we don’t fit in any box in the planning regulations so we’re having to go through the process to see where we might hit issues.”
Murph’s Gastro Pub has rights to the river to halfway across, while St Aidan’s Church has the rights on the other side. In similar cases, agreement with neighbours would be needed if a pod had an impact on an opposite bank.
A community information session was held in the village to explain the project and McCormack said the reaction was very positive.
She said if the pub project gets approval, it would be closely monitored and communications kept open with local people to ensure no negative impacts.
