UCD Students Win €12,000 at EirGrid CleanerGrid Competition 2026 for Offshore Wind Model
Two University College Dublin students, Peter McHugh and Rory Tobin, won the €12,000 prize at the EirGrid CleanerGrid Competition 2026 for their data-driven model aimed at improving offshore wind integration in Ireland's electricity system. Their project optimizes the siting and sizing of flexible energy storage systems, including battery storage and hydrogen, reducing offshore wind curtailment. The competition promotes innovative solutions to energy challenges and had UCD as the sole finalist institution this year.
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Peter McHugh and Rory Tobin from University College Dublin (UCD) secured the top €12,000 prize at the EirGrid CleanerGrid Competition 2026. Their winning project includes a data-driven model to enhance offshore wind integration into Ireland's electricity system by optimizing the siting and sizing of flexible energy storage solutions, such as battery and hydrogen storage, effectively reducing offshore wind curtailment.
This year's competition aimed to explore opportunities and challenges in accelerating offshore wind potential, featuring submissions from nine higher education institutions, with UCD as the only finalist. EirGrid emphasizes student innovation as crucial for Ireland's sustainable energy transition.
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