Astatine , the company delivering decarbonisation solutions for Irish businesses, is making headlines lately with a recent major funding raise that will accelerate plans for the decarbonisation of industrial and manufacturing businesses in Ireland . A proud company in the Sustainability@GEC cluster, there are many exciting things on the way for this Irish sustainability business based in the Guinness Enterprise Centre .
Raising up to €25 million, their latest funding boosts the rollout of their renewable energy technologies. They have secured an initial €15 million in project funding from the Solas Sustainable Energy Fund ICAV , advised by Dublin and Zurich based Solas Capital , with the option to increase the size of the facility by a further €10 million. This investment will be used to accelerate the expansion of Astatine’s decarbonisation campaign for industrial and manufacturing firms.
Overview of GHG Protocol scopes and emissions across the value chain (Image source: Greenhouse Gas Protocol ) Let’s break it down- what is decarbonisation? It is the reduction or elimination of carbon dioxide emissions that enter our atmosphere through energy used in manufacturing or industrial processes. Astatine helps companies on this journey to lower their carbon emissions through a Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) approach. This method defines 3 types of carbon emissions.
Scope 1 – Direct Emissions 🔥 Scope 1 emissions are defined as direct carbon emissions that occur from sources directly controlled or owned by an organisation such as fuel combustion. Astatine’s focus in Scope 1 emission reduction is to help companies reduce their carbon emissions from heating through electrification and high temperature heat pump technologies. Heat pump technology can typically provide a 70% reduction in Scope 1 carbon emissions while also reducing operating costs by over 50%.
Scope 2 – Indirect Upstream Activities ⚡ Scope 2 emissions are defined as indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat or cooling. Astatine’s focus for Scope 2 carbon reduction focuses on creating onsite solar PV Power and offsite corporate PPAs. With recent increases in fossil fuel prices, onsite solar power can now deliver savings of over 50%.
Scope 3 – Indirect Downstream Activities ⛓️ Scope 3 emissions are the result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by an organisation, but that an organisation indirectly affects in its value chain. Some examples include transportation, processing of sold products and investments. Astatine aids in reducing Scope 3 emissions by providing carbon reduction roadmaps for industry and decarbonisation solutions to the supply chain.
How are these solutions delivered?
Solar PV Solutions ☀️ – Astatine provides a fully delivered ‘design-build’ or fully funded solutions for onsite solar power. In recent news, Astatine announced a €1M investment in a project at the CMLS Limited cold storage facility in Oranmore, Co. Galway. The project is expected to half the cost of the company’s electricity bill and bring carbon cuts of 25% for the Oranmore cold storage facility . It will also create a stable price of power for the next 30 years – a welcome change from the current energy cost volatility in the Irish market and beyond. Astatine have experience delivering projects as large as 5,000 kW. Heat Pump Solutions (Up to 80°C) 🔥 & High Temperature Heat Pumps (80°C to 200°C) – Heat pumps can provide carbon free hot water and heating for manufacturing and industrial processes. They are powered by electricity which eliminates the use of fossil fuels on site and a proven technology with over 20,000 installations of industrial heat pumps in Europe per year. Astatine is implementing this heat pump technology to reduce and replace for industrial and space heating. High -temperature heat pumps which supply hot water up to 130°C are readily available across a wide variety of sizes, from 40 kW up to 50 MW, at these temperatures some of Astatine’s clients can now fulfil all their heating needs with industrial heat pumps. Astatine is at the forefront of pioneering high temperature heat pump solutions in Ireland with bespoke solutions available up to 200°C.
FUN FACT: Astatine is currently commissioning the all-electric Ahascragh Distillery aiming to create Ireland’s first chimney free distillery. It will become the first distillery in Ireland or the UK to use a heat pump above 100°C , using water up to 120°C if required to produce their whiskey. This will be the first whiskey distillery in the world that will use a heat pump to provide all its heating needs with zero combustion of fossil fuels onsite. With the innovative solution provided by Astatine, every unit of electricity consumed by the heat pumps will provide four units of heat.
The Ahascragh Distillery
With the energy crisis and extreme costs of gas and electricity in last 2 years, Astatine is seeing payback periods from their solutions between 2 to 4 years. Heat pumps are the future for environmentally friendly and cost saving heating.
With heat pumps using electricity, there is a natural tie-in for solar panel solutions.
“The sun may not shine as often as we would like in Ireland, but solar power technology is constantly improving and is now very cost competitive, even with our limited Irish sun!”
By generating electricity from the sun, solar panels produce no emissions or pollutants, making them a clean and sustainable option for powering a business.
Astatine team members with Eamon Ryan T.D., Minister for the Environment and Climate at Sustainability@GEC launch Astatine is one of the amazing companies taking part in Sustainability@GEC , which was launched with Eamon Ryan T.D., Minister for the Environment and Climate, at the Guinness Enterprise Centre on February 24, 2023. The sustainability cluster was launched in partnership with Techies Go Green , which supports tech-oriented companies committed to decarbonising their businesses and helping every signatory become carbon neutral by 2030.
Sam Geraghty, a Mechanical Engineer for Astatine, was reflecting on the launch day.
“It was great to get that engagement and support from Minister Eamon Ryan and for him to see what’s going on here. It was great to see the turnout and variety in sustainable companies.”
Sam also discussed Astatine’s involvement in the sustainability cluster.
“It’s good to be in a place where there are other companies that are driven by sustainability and climate change, and is an important factor in why they do business. You can see that everyone who runs their business in the Guinness Enterprise Centre is innovative and it’s a great place for businesses to grow together in that space.”
The Young Greens Visit to the Guinness Enterprise Centre
Sam, along with his colleagues, have a passion for sustainability. Sam has been a member of the Young Greens , the youth wing of the Green Party, since 2020. Starting his interests while working for the ESB for his student placement, Sam focused on the importance of policy in climate change mitigations and decarbonising Europe.
“At a European level, policy is made, and it’s fed down and business react and form. Government policy has such an effect on the landscape.”
Shortly after college, Sam joined the Young Greens to act as the Secretary for two years and Co-Chair for a year.
Recently at the Guinness Enterprise Centre, the Young Greens hosted their annual convention. Their events usually focus on productive panel discussions and learning workshops. The Young Greens have the opportunity to engage with people in government to ensure voices and opinions of young people are heard.
“The Green Party’s policy is very grassroots and run by volunteers. The Young Greens can put forward a policy to the Policy Council, debate it and it could be considered and implemented for the party.”
The Young Greens and Astatine are both impacted by the urgency in climate change. Sam joined Astatine in July of 2022 and has had the opportunity to bring his passion for sustainability and help work towards decarbonisation in Ireland. Astatine has a fast-growing team, doubling from 10 to 20 people since July 2022.
It is minds like Astatine and their team that help the Guinness Enterprise Centre work towards building a circular economy hub. There is so much innovation taking place in the Guinness Enterprise Centre, and we highly value companies that are putting sustainability at the forefront, and hope to build on it through Sustainability@GEC to work towards a greener future.
Astatine Team Learn more about Astatine and keep an eye out on their page for opportunities to work with Sam and the Astatine team.
Want more information about the innovation in sustainability in the Guinness Enterprise Centre ? Check out Sustainability@GEC and contact us to find out more about the community, office space, events and corporate partnerships.
