The lord mayor of the Irish capital, Emer Costello, switched over to Dublin’s new renewable energy source last week.

The energy efficient electricity supply will be used in 768 sets of traffic lights and 42,500 public lights and will save Dublin City Council around €300,000 a year.

Mrs Costello said: “Dublin City Council’s Climate Change Strategy shows the Council’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions in key areas, one of which is energy.

“The implementation of green initiatives and the promotion of environmental sustainability are vital to our city’s progression and advancement.

“The move to energy efficient electricity is a great step towards achieving a more eco-friendly capital while also making substantial savings on electricity bills.”

The green initiative is one of several improvements included in Dublin City Council’s Climate Change Strategy for Dublin City 2008 to 2012.

The greener energy will come from power firm Energia, which currently has more than 220MW of operational windfarms, and a further 400MW in development.

Luke Walsh

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