The climate & me: ‘I use the wind turbine to power the house heating system’

Kilrush butcher Jack Kelly would be an ideal poster boy for any of the non-government organisations on the fringes of the climate conference in Paris clamouring for the shutdown of coal-burning stations across the world.

A number of years ago, Mr Kelly turned his back on fossil fuels to power his home by erecting a 13-metre wind turbine in his back garden.

“I use the wind turbine to power the house heating system,” he said. “It is a windy part of the country so why not take advantage of it?”

Ironic then that Mr Kelly lives in the shadow of the two 715ft chimneys at Moneypoint power station that is the single largest contributor to fossil fuel-based CO2 emissions in the country.

In spite of his green credentials, Mr Kelly said: “Moneypoint would always be regarded as a jewel in the crown of west Clare”.

“Kilrush has suffered from emigration and local industries closing since the 1940s and 1950s, but with Moneypoint new families came to the area from all over the country. New houses were built.”

The Kilrush businessman said, however, that “Moneypoint’s head is above the parapet as far as Paris is concerned”.

Greenhouse gas emissions

The power station was placed in the frame following US president

Barack Obama

announcing a “Clean Power Plan” in August which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from US power stations by nearly a third and has been described as a “war on coal”.Kilrush businessman Patrick Bourke said “there is little awareness” among people in Kilrush of the possible implications from Paris for Moneypoint.

Moneypoint opened in 1986 at a cost of £700 million to construct and was one of the largest capital projects ever undertaken by the State. Today, it is a vital cog in the ESB power generation portfolio with the capacity to produce five million MW hours per annum and supports 300 jobs at the station and 900 nationally. The latest official figures show that, in 2013, Moneypoint produced 3.89 million tonnes of CO2 and was responsible for 34.4 per cent of emissions in the power generation sector and 6.7 per cent of national CO2 emissions.

An ESB spokesman said Moneypoint is the youngest coal-burning power station in Ireland or Britain and it saves electricity customers about €200 million a year, "providing invaluable security of supply to the wider economy".