We hope that members and non-members alike who attended our National Conference on 21 October on the theme Engineering Climate Action: Solutions to combat climate change in Ireland enjoyed the conference and found it fulfilling and worthwhile.

Note that attendees can log back in to our specific CrowdComms conference platform for weeks ahead to access and view again the presentations and speeches made. Please use your login detail sent to you ahead of the conference and used on the day, 21 October. 

On this page below and for your convenience you will also find the following information:

PRESIDENT OF IRELAND

The link to the page on our website housing both the Address and the Video of the Address by our Guest of Honour, President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins. We are hugely grateful to the President of Ireland that he honoured our Institution by providing such an inspiring opening keynote Address.

PRESENTATIONS

You can also access the presentations provided for the National Conference here. These include the presentations by:

1. Session One

  • Dr Morgan Bazilian, Morgan holds two Master’s degrees and a Ph.D. in areas related to energy systems and markets and has been a Fulbright fellow. His book, Analytical Methods for Energy Diversity and Security is considered a seminal piece in the area of energy finance and security. Morgan’s presentation was about the Geopolitics of the Energy Transition.

2. Session Two

  • Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir, who spoke about the Solutions to meeting the Government Ambition on Climate Action. Brian is Professor of Energy Engineering at University College Cork and SFI’s MaREI Centre Director.
  • Brendan Murphy, Commercial and Regulatory Director with Ervia who spoke about Carbon Capture and Storage. He also made references to the role for Hydrogen as part of Ireland's energy mix and in the context of Carbon Capture and Storage. Brendan’s presentation was called: Carbon Capture and Storage, a necessity not an option. 
  • Liam Murphy, who has a background in Natural Sciences and Regional and Urban Planning and his colleague David Keane a Chartered Engineer, and both with ESB, who spoke about Offshore wind’s ocean of opportunity, the 2030 challenge and beyond. 
  • Dr Lisa Ryan, an engineer and a lecturer in energy economics in UCD School of Economics and energy economics research lead at the UCD Energy Institute. Dr Lisa Ryan spoke about The Future Energy Citizen.

3. Session Three

  • Sofia Cordeiro, an Applied Plant Biologist and Adviser in Urban Green Structure, Environment, Climate & Energy, Municipality of Lisbon. Sofia spoke about Lisbon as the 2020 European Green Capital. The European Green Capital Award pays tribute to European cities where innovative urban environmental management and initiatives have taken hold. Award-winning cities lead the way in setting higher standards in sustainable urban development, listening to what their citizens want, and pioneering innovative solutions to environmental challenges.
  • Reinoud van Oosten, a civil engineer and Commercial Director Senior Project Manager at RPS Netherlands. He is Project Manager with the RPS Group in the Netherlands. Reinoud specialises in the design and construction phases of dike reinforcement projects and water retention basins. He spoke to us about the project ‘New Driemanspolder’ in the province of South Holland which is a good example of how the Dutch are preparing for extreme weather. 
  • Dr John Martin, OPW’s Head of Flood Project Management.  John is a Civil Engineering graduate from UCD and obtained a PhD from UCC in 2002 in River Engineering and Flood Alleviation.  John’s presentation to us was called: The complexity of Flood Risk Management – Integrating flood relief solutions into Clonakilty’s urban setting.
  • Deirdre de Bhailís, who holds a Degree in Electronic Engineering from NUI Galway and a Masters’ Degree in Engineering Science from UCC. She is the Manager of the Dingle Creativity and Innovation Hub since February 2018. Her key focus is to build a sustainable community through fostering an ecosystem that supports the creation of enterprise and employment on the Dingle Peninsula. To execute this goal, she drives multiple projects which address the community’s transition to a low carbon society. Her presentation was a case study called: Dingle Peninsula 2030: Working with Communities for a Sustainable Future.
  • Seán Laffey, a Chartered Engineer and Head of Asset Management with Irish Water. Irish Water has a responsibility to operate and deliver services in a sustainable manner. As one of the largest energy users in the country, Seán discussed how Irish Water are making huge strides in adapting to and mitigating climate change and improving energy efficiency year on year. 

REMAINING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Also below we will be providing answers to some of the questions you had on the day of the National Conference which our speakers did not have an opportunity to respond to. Please check back to this page for regular updates. 

Thank you to Glennon Insurance, the Engineers Journal and our Corporate partners for their support of our 2020 National Conference.