Knockanean National School

Visit to Derrybrien Windfarm

The Green Schools Committee took off once again on May 12th 2010 to check out the workings of a wind farm in a place called Deerybrien in our neighbouring county of Galway. The day was cold but dry and all the chat was about the turbines and whether or not we'd get to go inside one! We headed off towards Gort and then took a right turn in the town out to Derrybrien which is located high up in the Slieve Aughty mountains. The closer we got, the bigger the turbines seemed to be. There were lots of them dotting the landscape and we had a game to guess how many were actually on the site. The guesses went from 20 to 200 but the actual figure is 70. This is the biggest windfarm in the whole of the Republic of Ireland. Aoife O'Connor and Brian Kelly were very close to the correct answer!

The long road into the site soon came to an end and we were met by Kieran and Sean who explained a few things to us about the day to day workings of the wind farm. Wind of course is the main component and if that does not blow then the potential of the turbine is naturally reduced. The amount this year is generally down because of all the cold but calm weather since Christmas. We learned that one turbine could power 50,000 homes if the wind blows for long periods of time. That is really good and will reduce our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels.

We also learned that each turbine cost the staggering total of 1 million euro each, yes, one million each! They are very high tech and the maintenance on them is very costly too. When we got to go inside one of them we saw how compact they were and how dangerous they can be if the proper procedures are not followed every time !There are really long ladders inside which the men can climb up to see if there is a problem up there. Recently, one poor guy had a heart attack up there and unfortunately died there. The height of each one is 49 metres and the span of each blade is 26 metres. Pretty big, don't you agree?

We got to go in then to the main control room where all the data is collected and the men showed us the general working of the computers. The ESB hope to expand the number of windfarms in the country but the people need to realise that this change is really good for our country and for our environment! Change can be slow but with all the new technology coming on board we can all help to make this change possible.

We had a great day out and thanks to Kay O Donnell and Mrs Colleran who accompanied us on the trip. We stopped in Coole Park on the way home and had great fun there, especially around the famous Autograph Tree. W. B . YEATS and Lady Gregory carved their names there many years ago.

Visit from ESB's Electric Vehicle

Friday February 5th, The Green Schools Committee organized an ELECTRIC VEHICLE to come to the school so the children could see the use that is made of alternative fuels as opposed to petrol and diesel!  The vehicle was a big hit with all the children and 18 lucky pupils got to get a spin in it. They ranged from 2nd class to 6th class and as they drove noiselessly away, all others waved them off. Take a look at our photos below - a great morning was had by all.

A million thanks to Sean Hegarty who was the chief man behind the venture and to his employers, the ESB,  for facilitating us. Also to Paul Mulvaney who is the leading light in the promotion of the electric cars and vans. They both gave a presentation to 5th and 6th classes and they were brilliant with the children. A Goodie Bag and lots of other little prizes were given out. Mile Buiochas.
The Green School Committee will continue to raise awareness of saving energy both at school and in the home. Sean and Paul were both delighted with the level of awareness in the school already.