Working towards a greener Tipperary

A COOPERATIVE that started out over a decade ago working in close partnership with householders in Drombane in Tipperary to make their properties more energy efficient and sustainable has grown beyond the imaginations of its founders, such is the demand for the services it provides today.

At a conference in the Abbey Court Hotel in Nenagh on Thursday week last, Marcela Maher-Keogh, Project Manager and Coordinator of EcoVision, outlined how the founders of the co-op had worked successfully on rolling out sustainable energy projects with communities in Drombane, Kilcommon, Lorrha and Birdhill.

She charted the expansion of the co-op as it grew its pioneering mission into the neighbouring counties of Clare and Limerick to help others take on similar missions to face the challenges posed by the climate crisis and reduce their energy costs through sustainable initiatives.

The work carried out with the four above communities in North Tipperary was overseen by founding members of the co-op, then known as Energy Communities Tipperary Cooperative. But now the co-op has been rebranded as EcoVision to reflect the expansion of its role into Clare and Limerick.

Ms Maher-Keogh said there had been times of “blood, sweat and tears” as the co-op sought to expand on its mission over the past 12 years. But the mission had spread out to other counties over the years. EcoVision was now working in partnership with a total of  15 active communities on sustainable energy  initiatives and had formed strong partnerships with groups undertaking similar work across the EU.

Over the past 12 years, total investment in the co-op amounted to €17.8 million; the value of grants drawn down was €11.7 million, and the total energy savings in communities due to the rollout of sustainable energy initiatives amounted to 12.8 gigawatts. In the same period the co-op had been involved with communities in retrofitting 923 houses as well as 50 community/commercial initiatives. The work of EcoVision also involved working on solar pv community projects, with eight sites currently up and running.

Ms Maher-Keogh said EcoVision had formed strong alliances with groups involved in similar missions across the EU, in France, Greece, Bulgaria, Brussels and Spain, learning a great deal from its European counterparts.

Ireland, she said, had one of the progressive sustainable energy grant systems in Europe and was working hard to achieve its climate action targets. EcoVision had formed strong working relationships with several organisations working in the sustainable energy sector in Ireland. The co-op had a fantastic team of contractors who were experts in retrofitting and other sustainable energy knowledge who were helping it achieve its mission.

INTERNATIONAL ELEMENT

There was an international aspect to the conference in Nenagh, with a number of speakers attending from European countries on Zoom.  Among them was Gearóid Fitzgibbon, co-founder and director of EcoVision, currently working in Sweden.

Mr Fitzgibbon said work of the co-op started in 2010 when a community leader in Drombane asked for help to roll out a sustainable energy project in the parish and the mission expanded from here.  The work the co-op did was not just about retrofitting homes; it was working with the wider community to generate local employment.

The mission was all about building a network of sustainable energy communities in Tipperary, Clare and Limerick. “It’s about taking a cooperative approach, solving local problems and how we can look at the challenges of climate change as an investment strategy for local communities,” he said.

Mr Fitzgibbon said the board members of EcoVision served on a voluntary basis. The co-op’s mission was to provide a service for communities, “not just one that is just profit-based, but  it has an equitable and fair approach on how it does its work.”

A video was screened during the conference featuring a selection of people in communities across North Tipperary who spoke highly of the energy savings and benefits to the environment of having worked with the company on retrofitting projects in their homes and businesses.