Moate student claims third place in energy challenge

by Anna Rothwell

A UCD electronic engineering student from Moate has secured third place at the annual EirGrid CleanerGrid Competition.

Cian Brady and his teammates earned the impressive result with their submission investigating an integrated “Offshore Transmission Outage Coordination System and Wind Turbine monitoring dashboard prototype”. The innovative design which the team described as a “master project manager for offshore wind turbines”, would allow users to monitor turbines and substations off the Irish coast.

The CleanerGrid competition, run by EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, aims to adopt innovation and creativity by encouraging students to showcase their skills in solving critical energy challenges, with a focus on sustainability, efficiency and clean energy technologies.

With a third prize of €3,000 (€1,500 for the student team and €1,500 for the student’s third-level institute), this year’s theme asked students to consider “Opportunities and challenges in accelerating offshore wind potential.”

Among the ideas put forward by the three competing teams of finalists from University College Dublin included tackling curtailment and evaluating the use of underwater drones to monitor offshore renewable assets.

These teams were selected from a strong field of 32 submissions, involving 115 students across nine higher level institutions.

Congratulating all the teams on an engaging series of presentations, EirGrid Chief Transformation, Technology and Offshore Officer Liam Ryan said: “This is our third annual CleanerGrid completion and year-on-year it is fantastic to see the projects designed by third level students. Offshore wind has the potential for transformative opportunities for Ireland and is essential for strengthening our energy security, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and meeting our climate targets. Bringing students and young people with us on that journey is key.”