The Irish Times have given an update on where Ireland Inc. is in terms of its involvement in green energy and the opportunities seem to be going elsewhere or are on a slow boil.

Stars of the green economy where are they now?

IMPERATIVE ENERGY

Some 90 per cent of this bioenergy system developers business is now done in the UK � it recently secured a �70 million contract in Birmingham.

A flagship project in Claremorris, Co Mayo, and a smaller one in Arklow are awaiting planning permission after being delayed by the finalisation of the Refit3 subsidy scheme, which it hopes will boost its Irish business once again.

WAVEBOB

This Maynooth wave energy developer aims to have its first 100kw device installed in Scotland early next year, followed by two more in Portugal and the US over the next two years.

It shortly hopes to close a �10 million funding round and is part of the WestWave consortium, which aims to develop a wave farm off the west coast by 2016.

OPENHYDRO

Its main focus is currently on the world�s largest tidal array off the Brittany coast for French utility giant EDF. It is expected to be completed later this year and has been supported by the EU, the Brittany region and the French government.

Other arrays in Scotland, the west of Ireland, Canada and the Channel Islands are planned in the coming years.

THE SPIRIT OF IRELAND PROJECT

This multibillion-euro project is at least six years away from being completed. Pumped storage reservoirs in the west of Ireland, combined with onshore and offshore wind farms in the region, would provide hundreds of megawatts of carbon-free power for export to the UK.

MAINSTREAM RENEWABLE POWER

Although the wind energy firm of Eddie O�Connor (below) is focused on wind farm developments in Chile, South Africa, North America and the North Sea, it also has a renewed interest in Ireland and intends to float on the Hong Kong stock exchange some time next year.

Full report Irish Times: http://bit.ly/HaRUe8