The National Sustainable Building Energy Test Bed facility to examine ideas for future energy-saving products and services in a real environment is now up and running at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)’s Nimbus Centre.
Today, Sean Sherlock, TD, the Minister of State for Research and Innovation, officially opened the facility, which has been established by United Technologies Research Centre Ireland Ltd (UTRC-Ireland) in partnership with CIT.
The National Sustainable Building Energy Test Bed is available to national and international commercial entities within the energy space to trial research and development work, particularly within the areas of smart grid, intermittent generation, and demand side management.
Higher-education institutes and researchers, through European Commission-funded research projects, may also use the facility for experimental work.
At its opening, Sherlock spoke of Ireland’s strength as a location to test and develop new technologies, both in terms of existing test-bed sites and its small size, where new technologies can be tested for application to larger markets.
“The National Sustainable Building Energy Test-Bed is a perfect example of this new technology as it will allow companies and third-level institutions all over Ireland to trial energy technology innovations and boost job creation while simultaneously saving energy,” Sherlock said.
