A STUDENT from the Limerick City East Educate Together Secondary School in Castletroy has taken home the prestigious EirGrid Cleaner Climate Award following his success at the recent SciFest@College 2025 regional competition at the Atlantic Technological University in Galway.
Transition year student Arlen Casey-Nehrig impressed judges at the awards with his eco-aware project entitled ‘Project Zephyr’, which focused on generating energy from cars on our motorways by using a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) – a type of wind turbine where the axis of rotation of the rotor is perpendicular to the wind direction.
Students from schools across Limerick and neighbouring counties came together with their second-level peers and teachers to compete in the STEM fair exhibiting projects covering a broad range of topics and disciplines from health and physics to renewable energy and AI.
SciFest@College is a programme of STEM fairs for second-level students across Ireland, taking place in 16 regional colleges throughout the country.
As a partner in SciFest, EirGrid delivers the Cleaner Climate Award, taken home by the Limerick City East Educate Together student, as recognition of the critical role young people play in shaping a sustainable future.
The prize is awarded each yaer to the student or team whose project demonstrates both technical excellence and a tangible positive impact to energy and environmental sustainability.
Arlen will now progress to the SciFest National Final in November, for a chance to represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
