THE Government is to provide £2.4 millon for the north’s first ever electricity ‘smart micro-grid’.
The funds are part of the £7.5m Girona project, which is geared towards creating cleaner and cheaper energy.
West Belfast-based Poweron Technologies and the GES Group in Ballymena, are included in the Government-backed scheme.
The test project is currently be operated in Belfast Harbour.
Eddie McGoldrick, director of Poweron, which trades as The Electric Storage Company, said: “We want to make the energy market more democratic, consumers feel they have no choice when it comes to the big energy companies.
“These innovations are an easy, inexpensive way to bring smart energy solutions like solar panels and battery storage into consumer’s daily lives.
“The ‘micro-grid’ isn’t just good for the environment because it uses more renewables, contributing to the Net Zero target, it will also see a reduction in energy bills.”
GES Group chief executive, David Moore, said: “Providing more flexible energy solutions holds big benefits for businesses.
“Reducing their environmental impact not to mention their energy bills is often a key objective for companies, but investing in the technology needed to do so is often expensive.
“Our innovative system of financing the technology means they too can reap the rewards without large outlays.”
