DUBLIN’S CHRISTMAS LIGHTS will be partly powered by batteries this year to reduce strain on the electricity grid.

For the third year, Dublin City Council’s ‘Winter Lights’ installations and projections will have generators that use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as their fuel source.

HVO is an alternative to diesel fuel.

Sixteen locations around the city have been lit up with colourful projections and lighting displays, including, for the first time, the Spire.

Also featuring for for the first time this year is a lit-up viking boat on the Liffey and a new installation in the Liberties’ Bridgefoot Street Park.

The Winter Lights programme includes a trail that takes walkers to all 16 installations. The trail can be found on the Winter Lights website.

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The lights will remain switched on until 1 January.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy said: “Christmas really is a magical time for everyone and what better way to get you into the festive spirit than to visit this year’s Dublin Winter Lights. Whether you’re 5 or 85 I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.”

Simon Clarke, from Dublin City Council’s Events section, added: “The introduction of battery packs as a power source for some installations, in addition to the use of HVO generators, and the commissioning of our enhanced lighting systems on Samuel Beckett Bridge and the light sails on Smithfield Square, confirms Dublin City Councils commitment to facilitating and delivering more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable events in the city centre.”

The council has said that the power used to light up the Spire is comparable to that used in a domestic iron (1800w), and the illumination of the Millennium Bridge uses about the same amount of energy as a toaster (900w).