Our mission is to tackle energy poverty by creating solutions to divert excess renewable energy – which would otherwise be wasted – to homes in Northern Ireland, with a primary focus on those experiencing fuel poverty.

EnergyCloud Northern Ireland is a not-for-profit social enterprise, working to ensure that renewable energy, which would otherwise be wasted, is redirected for social good.

We are proudly supported by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, SONI, RenewableNI, National Energy Action NI, and Northern Ireland Electricity Networks, alongside a growing network of partners across the housing, charity and energy sectors.

The organisation is led by Independent Chairperson Jamie Delargy, supported by a Board of Directors.

Establishment of EnergyCloud Northern Ireland

EnergyCloud in Northern Ireland is governed by the board of Energy Cloud Limited (Company Number NI676929). The Board of this company is composed of Directors, Board members and Board advisers. The first formal meeting (9th March 2020) about EnergyCloud was convened in the University of Ulster, under the auspices of the RULET Programme, which is part of SPIRE 2 – Storage Platform for the Integration of Renewable Energy.

The legal entity, Energy Cloud Limited (NI 676929), was formally established in February 2021. The work of the board of EnergyCloud Northern Ireland, is exclusively focussed on Northern Ireland as agreed by the founding members of the board of EnergyCloud in Northern Ireland, in July 2020.

In July 2023, the Board of EnergyCloud Northern Ireland appointed an Independent Chairperson, Mr Peter McClenaghan. The Board approved the adoption of the EnergyCloud Charter. The EnergyCloud

Charter was developed and formally adopted by the EnergyCloud Foundation in May 2023.

Dr. Patrick Keatley was nominated by the Board to be the Director nominee of EnergyCloud Northern Ireland on the EnergyCloud leadership group, which shall be convened by the Chairperson of the EnergyCloud Foundation. The EnergyCloud leadership group shall be comprised of one representative from each national or regional board of EnergyCloud.

In November 2024, Jamie Delargy was appointed Independent Chairperson of EnergyCloud Northern Ireland, assuming the role of Independent Chairperson from its first chairperson Peter McClenaghan, who stepped down upon taking up a new role with NIE Networks.

EnergyCloud Northern Ireland exists first and foremost to reduce renewable energy wastage – with more than £770 million worth of clean electricity curtailed between 2016 and 2024 – and instead divert it for social good to help the many thousands of households living in fuel poverty across Northern Ireland.

We do this by redistributing surplus energy from wind and solar renewable generators to households in fuel poverty through partnerships with utilities, housing associations and charity partners. This excess energy would otherwise be wasted.

We develop innovative and practical solutions that can be activated at a small scale in communities but scaled across Northern Ireland. These solutions have the potential to address critical issues in the clean energy system of the future including constraint, flexibility and resilience.

There is an opportunity to capture some of this excess renewable energy and redistribute it to households in Northern Ireland who are living in fuel poverty. This technology solution could also provide a model whereby excess renewable energy, which would otherwise be curtailed, can be diverted into homes, helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, address localised constraint issues, and achieve Northern Ireland’s climate change targets.

The Northern Ireland Assembly passed its first-ever Climate Change legislation in 2022. The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 provides a legal framework for tackling climate change and requires all departments to contribute to delivering its targets. These include achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with interim targets of reducing emissions by 48% by 2030 and 60% by 2035. The Act also sets ambitious sectoral goals, including ensuring that at least 80% of electricity consumption comes from renewable sources by 2030.

Rather than simply switching off wind turbines and solar panels during times of high production, EnergyCloud Northern Ireland provides the opportunity for the region to lead in creating solutions for surplus renewable energy. By harnessing clean energy that would otherwise be wasted, we can reduce emissions, improve resilience, and provide practical benefits for households in fuel poverty.