Top award goes to West Cork-founded housing body

THE prestigious Irish Council for Social Housing Award for leading the energy transition has been awarded to a project by West-Cork founded Carbery Housing Association (CHA).

Called the REDWoLF Project (Rethink Electricity Distribution Without Load Following), it provides an all-solar power system for social and private homes, and it has been deployed in four properties owned by the association in Cork city and county.

As a partner in the EU Interreg NWE funded REDWoLF Project, CHA has installed solar PV panels, batteries, storage heaters and a diverter which sends excess energy in the hot water cylinder, providing space heating and hot water, in four properties purchased under the mortgages to rent programme.

A smart controller decides when electricity is taken from the grid, shifting demand to off-peak times and PV self-consumption is maximised. The system and its performance is monitored remotely by CHA and used to inform better energy management.

Jose Ospina, chair of CHA, described the system as ‘a game-changer in the provision of domestic power for social and private homeowners.’

‘It is fossil fuel free and generates most of the energy needed to meet the households needs and to sell surplus electricity to the grid,’ he said.

Ana Ospina. operations manager of CHA added: ‘We believe it has great potential to support achieving our green energy transition targets around Europe and around the world.’

CHA is developing new proposals to roll out this all-solar approach to other social homes.

This is especially relevant for island communities, that have a particular need for energy self-sufficiency, it says.

Further bids have been and are being made by CHA for EU funding that include the integration of wind energy and hydrogen storage, and a user friendly interface to make system more accessible to and manageable by residents.

Meanwhile, following the win, Labour representative, Evie Nevin, is calling on Cork County Council to adopt similar sustainable strategies for local authority building projects.