by Jake Polden
Ballyness Caravan Park in Bushmills, Northern Ireland has had its green project plans halted while Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) restores substations and lines.
Site owner David Dunlop, who had hoped to save £30,000 a year on his electricity bill by installing an efficient 50 kilowatt group of solar panels, was disappointed to learn that the grid would not be able to sustain even half of the load.
Talking to BBC News, David said: “It’s a bit annoying when the government is really pushing for carbon reducing renewables and then when you try to do it you are held up at every opportunity”.
Built in the 1960s and 1970s, the local power stations, which local homes and businesses depend upon, have become recently saturated with excessive current moving in both directions.
Despite minor engineering improvements commencing, Michael Atkinson, an official for NIE, explained that significant investment would be required if the network was going to be entirely redeveloped.
