LIT becomes first Irish member of the Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centers

Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) has been inducted as the first Irish member of the Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centres (EUREC).

Founded in 1991, EUREC represents European research centres which are active in the area of renewable energy. It consists of 38 different members from 16 different countries.

LIT’s Development Unit, based in Thurles, is responding to gaps in the renewable energy sector by collaborating on six sustainable energy projects with partners across Europe that are worth over €1.1 million to the institution and €8 million as a whole.

Welcoming LIT becoming a member of EUREC, Head of Development & Public Engagement at LIT, Seamus Hoyne, said the network opens up a range of opportunities for the institution and the Midwest as a whole.

“LIT’s Development Unit has been identifying gaps and niches in the sustainable energy sector for a number of years. We continue to collaborate with a range of partners across Europe in delivering change in renewable energy. Becoming a member of EUREC opens more doors for our voices, and the voices of the Midwest, to be heard at the highest policy levels in the European Union.

Our research has told us that individuals and businesses in Ireland want to become more energy conscious and energy-efficient. Now, as a member of EUREC, we are part of a key network aiming to enable a prompt transition to a sustainable energy system for all.”

EUREC members are offered access to expertise, access to EU representatives and policy insight in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Association is currently working on a number of EU-funded projects in the areas of wind and solar energy, as well as hydropower.

LIT met a number of criteria to be accepted as a member of EUREC, and its research facilities will be visited by a European delegation when COVID-19 restrictions deem it safe to do so.