This morning it was announced that four Northside libraries would be utilizing solar energy in the future, thanks to a €250,000 investment co-funded by the EU and Dublin City Council. This measure will save approximately €21,000 in energy bills annually.

Noel Rock, Councillor for Ballymun, Glasnevin and Drumcondra, said: “This is a great initiative and good value for the city – these panels will have paid for themselves within between 7 and 13 years, and given the EU have paid for part of this, that timeframe is reduced further, so it’s a good deal for us”.

Councillor Rock added: “It’s envisioned that around 20% of the power for these libraries will come from these solar panels. I believe this initiative should be rolled out further, and have requested figures from the City Manager to find out how much it would cost to install these in other Dublin City libraries, including Drumcondra. I believe we should be working to bring Dublin City into the next century, and working to make our city both greener and cleaner”.