EU funding to the value of €3.3 million to develop smart energy systems has been awarded to the ESB, a Dublin company and a research team at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). The new funding will create seven new jobs with immediate effect and up to three more are likely as the projects develop.

Intune networks, a research centre at WIT and the ESB, will use the funding to conduct two field trials on the Irish grid. The first will assess how electric car chargers connected to wind energy sources can been centrally controlled to turn on when the wind is blowing and off when it is calm.

The second trial will use fibre optic cables and “burst telecommunications switching technology” (switches that react at the speed of light) to provide real time updates on electricity usage, which both consumers and electricity providers will be able to use to improve energy efficiency.

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, announced the funding saying that the projects highlight Ireland’s leadership in the area of smart networks.