ABOUT
The Irish Energy Storage Association (IESA) is the representative voice for the energy storage sector in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Our members are actively engaged in the advancement of energy storage solutions, contributing to the island’s energy transformation and decarbonisation goals.
IESA collaborates closely with key stakeholders, including Government departments, Energy Regulators, System Operators (ESB Networks, EirGrid, SONI, NIE Networks), and others, to advocate for the energy storage industry.
In September 2024, IESA secured a seat on the National Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce, which provides direct access to national-level discussions and decisions. IESA attends quarterly taskforce meetings and contributes to three key pillar working groups focused on Planning, Grid, and Markets.
We host networking events, webinars, training sessions, and policy updates to build expertise and provide opportunities for our members to connect, learn, and contribute to industry advancement.
IESA Structure
IESA Council: The elected strategic decision-making body of IESA.
IESA Executive: Provided by the South East Energy Agency, the executive team manages the day-to-day operations of IESA.
IESA Committee: Comprising representatives from each member organisation, the Committee meets monthly to discuss key industry issues and set the course for the association. It also oversees the formation of working groups and elects members to the IESA Council.
Working Groups
IESA’s Working Groups address critical areas in energy storage development and policy, enabling focused collaboration among members.
The four current Working Groups are:
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Markets – Focusing on the commercial landscape and market mechanisms for energy storage.
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Grid – Addressing grid integration, capacity, and system resilience for energy storage solutions.
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Thermal Storage – Exploring the role of thermal storage in achieving decarbonisation targets.
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Policy – Engaging with policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders to influence energy storage-related policy.
Working Groups are formed and dissolved as needed to respond to emerging issues in the sector.
The objectives of IESA are to:
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Represent the interests of the energy storage sector on the island of Ireland by influencing policy decisions and implementation details through engagement with CRU, UR, SEM Committee, EirGrid, ESBN, Government Departments, EU, and European energy bodies.
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Follow DS3 developments and respond to consultations representing the views of IESA members.
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Actively promote energy storage to meet the needs of the I-SEM and assist in combating climate change by providing new system services to the TSOs.
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Share knowledge and experience with global energy storage players, allowing mutual learning and business opportunities, particularly in relation to accommodating large-scale intermittent generation.
Our Team
Paddy Phelan
President and Council Member
CEO of South East Energy Agency and current President of Irish BioEnergy Association, Executive Committee of the Irish Wind Farmers Association, Member of the Chambers of Ireland Low Carbon Taskforce, Advisory Board Member of European Biogas Association, Council Member of the Irish Energy Storage Association. Board Member of SEAI 2015-2018. Part time lecturer in WIT in Sustainable Energy Engineering Course.
South East Energy Agency is a not for profit local acting regional energy agency. Paddy has experience across the energy sector, from energy efficiency, energy management and renewable technologies. Industry Expert in the retrofit process with emphasis on social housing since 2012. 10 years EU project experience. A member of the AIEA, IRBEA and Meitheal na Gaoithe management committees since 2012.
Frank Burke
Technical Advisor and Council Member
Frank has an Honours degree in Electrical Engineering from University College Dublin. He has worked for 45 years in the Electricity industry in Ireland, 38 years in the ESB.
Frank has extensive experience in electricity generation and supply. He also has experience in electricity markets including system services. He has assisted Schwungrad Energie in building a dynamic energy storage demonstration project to provide system services to EirGrid. Frank is now assisting Lumcloon Energy which is developing 200MW of Battery Energy Storage Plants in Co. Offaly.
Frank is a fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland.
Eugene Coughlan
Council Member
Eugene is a former Deputy Commissioner in the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) in Ireland. He currently is an independent consultant and an expert in the areas of energy policy, regulation and renewable energy. Eugene is working exclusively for Lumcloon Energy, who are developing 200MW of battery storage in Co. Offaly.
Prior to working in the CRU, Eugene was a senior official in the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications where he was primarily responsible for electricity policy. He also served as Private Secretary to the Minister.