It is with great sadness that SuperNode announces that its founder and Chairman, Dr. Eddie O’Connor, has passed away after a brief illness at the age of 76. Our thoughts are firstly with his family: his wife Hildegarde; his children Robert and Lesley; his daughter in law and son in law, Polly and Stewart; his beloved grandchildren and wider family. Our commiserations also to Eddie’s wide circle of friends and colleagues. A special mention must be made also to his life-long friend and personal assistant Marian Shanahan.
Eddie was a rare and amazing person with great intelligence, vision, vitality, courage and resolve. He is known as one of Ireland’s greatest entrepreneurs, leading the development of the global wind industry as founder of Irish companies Airtricity, Mainstream Renewable Power and SuperNode.
But calling Eddie an entrepreneur does not quite suffice, he was a swashbuckling pioneer and an irrepressible visionary, who inspired others to believe that change could happen and gave them confidence that they could make it happen.
Eddie spotted opportunities and trends many years before anyone else and was determined to shape developments by being the first mover. In 1992, he built Ireland’s first commercial wind farm in Bellacorick, as Bord na Móna chief executive. He founded Airtricity, in 1996 and broke the Irish electricity monopoly by selling wind power ten percent cheaper than the incumbent and built Ireland’s first offshore wind farm in 2004. Under Eddie’s guidance, Airtricity rapidly expanded, becoming a global leader in renewable energy development. His foresight and determination propelled the company to the forefront of the wind energy revolution, with projects spanning the globe. His commitment to clean energy solutions was unwavering, and he relentlessly advocated for a transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable sources.
In 2008, Eddie set up Mainstream Renewable Power, a company dedicated to developing wind and solar projects worldwide. His entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation drove Mainstream’s success., further solidifying his reputation as a trailblazer in the field. Mainstream developed into a leading global renewable energy company with projects spanning across five continents.
He saw the need for new grid technology before others and was the first to articulate the necessity for Europe to build a pan-European electricity supergrid to bring solar and wind power to consumers in a decarbonised European economy. While leading and shaping the development of the wind industry since the early 1990’s, he made many friends, and developed careers and fortunes for those who followed his lead.
He lived an extraordinary life to the full and was active to the end. Shortly before Christmas he attended his last SuperNode board meeting. The month before he launched his and Kevin O’Sullivan’s book ‘Supergrid – Super Solution’ at an event in Berlin, with Irish Minister for Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan T.D. Eddie always saw SuperNode as his most important project to date, one that would deliver the necessary technology to deliver his vision. His final slide at that presentation in Berlin was a picture of Eddie, Hildegarde and their grandchildren. This picture he said summed up the motivation for all that he does – the well-being of future generations.
I have known Eddie for a number of years and worked closely with him over the past five years. He valued highly the work we are doing in SuperNode. His presence, support and inspiration was felt by all staff. He was very proud of the SuperNode team, SuperNode’s values, our progress and what we are striving for.
All of us at SuperNode are devastated by Eddie’s passing and privileged to have known the person.
Ní fheicimid a leithéid arís ann – We won’t see his like again.
In Eddie’s case this is especially true.
John Fitzgerald, CEO of SuperNode
Anyone who wishes to leave a message of condolence, may do so here: Condolence Book for Eddie O’Connor