UCD students win top prize at EirGrid CleanerGrid competition

Two University College Dublin students have won the top €12,000 prize at the EirGrid CleanerGrid Competition 2026, recognising innovative solutions to Ireland’s energy challenges.

Peter McHugh and Rory Tobin took first place for a data-driven model designed to improve the integration of offshore wind into Ireland’s electricity system.

The pair are studying for their MSc in Energy Systems Engineering at the UCD School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering.

Their winning entry reduces offshore wind curtailment by optimising the siting and sizing of flexible energy storage systems, including battery storage and hydrogen.

Reflecting on their win, McHugh said the competition offered valuable insight into a rapidly developing sector.

“Offshore is a relatively young industry in Ireland, so to be able to learn more about it has been really interesting. We might have done a lecture or two in our course before, but we understand the landscape much better now,” said McHugh.  

“We started looking at the project back in October, so we had plenty of time to think about the prompt and decide what we wanted to do.” 

Tobin added, “There is a big drive to increase renewable energy on the grid, and our project looked at how that can be achieved successfully with offshore wind. It’s an area I’d be very interested in working in in the future.”

The top prize included €6,000 for the winning team and €6,000 for their university.

First Place - Team Combating Curtailment

Prize: €12,000
A team of two Energy Systems Engineering Master’s students who developed a data-driven model to reduce offshore wind dispatch by optimally siting and sizing flexible energy storage systems, focusing on battery energy storage and hydrogen.

• Peter McHugh - MEng Energy Systems Engineering, 5th Year 
• Rory Tobin - MEng Energy Systems Engineering, 5th Year 

Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Dr William Smith

Second Place - Team UCD UAV

Prize: €6,000
A team of six Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students who evaluated the use of subcontracted Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to support inspection and condition monitoring of offshore renewable assets.

• Jack Friel - Mechanical Engineering, 3rd Year 
• Kelvin Gao - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 3rd Year 
• Lorcan Cranley - Mechanical Engineering, 3rd Year 
• Luke Elliot - Mechanical Engineering, 3rd Year 
• Moaz Refaei - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 3rd Year 
• Joe Biju - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 3rd Year 

Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Dr Kevin Nolan

Third Place - Team VI

Prize: €3,000
Six Electrical & Electronic Engineering students developed an integrated Offshore Transmission Outage Coordination System and Wind Turbine Maintenance Dashboard to enhance real-time monitoring, enable predictive maintenance, and streamline offshore scheduling.

• Cian Brady - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 3rd Year 
• Cian Spillane - Electrical & Electronic Engineering,  3rd Year 
• Harry Stevens - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 3rd Year 
• James Sherwood - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 3rd Year 
• Yicheng Chen - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 3rd Year
• Jesse Hendry - Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 2nd Year 

Supervisor: (opens in a new window)Dr. Hamed Heydari-Doostabad

The competition, run by EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, aims to foster innovation among third-level students by encouraging practical, forward-looking solutions to critical energy and sustainability challenges.

This year, it challenged students to explore “opportunities and challenges in accelerating offshore wind potential.”

The finalist teams for 2026 were all from UCD, drawn from 32 submissions from nine higher education institutions across Ireland, with projects exploring a range of ideas, including autonomous underwater vehicles and monitoring systems for offshore wind infrastructure.

Congratulating the participants, EirGrid’s Chief Transformation, Technology and Offshore Officer Liam Ryan highlighted the importance of student innovation in supporting Ireland’s transition to a sustainable energy system.

“Offshore wind has the potential for transformative opportunities for Ireland and is essential for strengthening our energy security, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and meeting our climate targets. Bringing students and young people with us on that journey is key.

By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations