New lab to make Galway greener

Date Published: 30-Oct-2009

STUDENTS at GMIT are now able to avail of the latest state-of-the-art facilities thanks to the completion of the college’s energy laboratory on its Dublin road campus, which was officially opened last week.

Present at the opening were architect and TV presenter Duncan Stewart, as well as GMIT President Marian Coy. The laboratory is a result of a €150,000 investment by GMIT and has resulted in a number of additional courses being taught in the college.

“It is the most technologically advanced lab in the West of Ireland,” said Peter Butler of the School of Engineering in GMIT. The facility consists of renewable energy technologies such as solar panels, geothermal heat pumps and biomass boilers and stoves, as well as a range of standard energy resources such as gas boilers and radiators.

As well as this, plans are underway to construct four wind turbines, one on the grounds of the GMIT Dublin road campus and three in Mountbellew. It is hoped that they will be up and running by Christmas.

According to Dr Thomas Roche, head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering in GMIT and designer of the lab, the new facility will accommodate three levels of learning. Firstly, electricians, plumbers and carpenters will be able to find out how to properly install the new equipment that will provide buildings with sustainable energy sources.

The second level of learning that will be undertaken will be at undergraduate engineering level. Finally, at research level, engineers will be able to monitor the performance of the various technologies under varied weather conditions.

“We’ve a warm maritime climate which is different from that of continental Europe, so no one is able to get clear data on how sustainable energy sources would work in our climate,” said Dr Roche, who believes that this will all change thanks to the new GMIT lab, which will constantly monitor temperatures both within and just outside the facility.

For more see page 26 of the City Tribune