Ireland and low-carbon alternatives

Ireland’s traditional dependence on finite carbon-based sources of energy and external energy supplies, such as oil, is now being replaced by a move to low-carbon alternatives, such as wind and wave energy, alongside more efficient methods of supplying energy to consumers.

Ireland has traditionally had a diverse range of energy sources. The energy source that was most communally available to the wider rural population was peat from the many bogs that cover the island. From ancient times, this peat (or turf) was burned in open fires for heating and cooking. Peat is still used as a source of energy in rural areas, but European Union directives have created “special areas of conservation,” which have limited the amount of peat that can be extracted from the bogs.

The Irish state established a government department for extracting peat called Bord na Móna in the 1930s, and the company has diversified into an environmental solution and resource company since the onset of the new European regulatory regime, which restricted mass extraction from protected boglands.

Ireland was also once covered in dense forests, but these were cut down over the centuries for local energy and for use in shipbuilding in Britain. The Irish state has attempted to revive its forestry stock in recent years, and indigenous species are being brought back to areas where they had become extinct. The Irish state has carried out most tree planting to stop Ireland’s deforestation and to decrease Ireland’s timber dependency. Most of the state forests have been established on mountain land and consist mainly of exposure-tolerant, fast-growing conifers. According to the Irish state’s Agricultural Authority (Teagasc), Ireland has the lowest forest cover of all European countries: 10.5 percent, compared to a European average of more than 30 percent. County Wicklow has the greatest forest cover, and County Meath has the fewest trees. These forests are mostly human-made. Government policy has been to bring the national forest cover to 17 percent by 2030. In 2012, forest cover was estimated to be at its highest in the country in more than 350 years and continues to decrease; forest cover reached its lowest level around 1928, when only 1.2 percent of the total land area was forested. In 2022, Ireland's forest cover was estimated at 11.6 percent.

Offshore gas resources have been available to the Irish state, but these have been largely sold off to multinationals. One current initiative to bring gas supplies onshore from the west coast of Ireland in County Mayo has been the subject of local and national protests for more than a decade. In addition, the Irish state has attempted to move away from carbon-based energy supplies in order to introduce more sustainable practices into the business and domestic consumption sectors.

The Irish state has introduced new policies in response to the challenges of climate change. The participation of the Irish Green Party as minority members of the 2007–11 coalition government led to a new direction in energy policy.

Renewable Energy

The state has established policies aimed at the decarbonization of the Irish economy. In energy terms, this will focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency through a radical transformation of existing patterns of energy consumption. The state has targeted the harvesting renewable energy sources such as wind and wave power to reduce dependence, while creating sustainable patterns of growth and employment. Ireland's semistate and private sectors have invested $38 billion (30 billion euros) in plans for sustainable energy. In 2022, 21.5 percent of Ireland’s electricity demand was generated from wind power.

The Irish state has set a target of 40 percent of electricity supplies coming from renewable sources. This figure will continue to increase as more wind farms are connected to the national grid. The state has also invested in energy from offshore wind, ocean power, and biomass generation. A microgeneration program has been introduced so that people can sell excess energy back to the national grid, reducing domestic energy costs and increasing efficiency. Plans for alternative energy supplies will underpin the future of Ireland’s energy needs as a result.

Research has shown that the island of Ireland sits at the center of a potentially large ocean energy supply in the North Atlantic. Ireland’s ocean energy resource has been cited as among the best in the world, with a large focus from the international ocean energy sector currently working on developing Ireland’s potential in this area. Ireland’s maritime research development is also focusing on the potential for ocean energy as a sustainable energy supply for the future.

In 2023, ESB, the leading electricity provider in Ireland, partnered with Danish energy company Ørsted Global to explore the development of offshore wind energy projects along Ireland's coast. According to these companies, such projects have the potential to generate up to 5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy. At the time of the announcement, Ørsted operated nineteen wind farms in Ireland.

Energy Efficiency

The Home Energy Saving Scheme, under the auspices of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, began in March 2009. It provided households with significant grant assistance to retrofit their homes, a move that has increased energy efficiency for the domestic market. A range of tax incentives for energy-efficient equipment to enable Irish businesses to reduce their overhead costs and emissions were also implemented.

As of 2024, Ireland planned to fit smart meters in every home, allowing every electricity customer to monitor and reduce energy consumption. The Irish state’s energy policies had the capability to create thousands of green jobs.

Bibliography

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"Grasping the Renewable Energy Opportunity for Ireland." IDA Ireland, 25 Mar. 2024, www.idaireland.com/latest-news/insights/renewable-energy-opportunity-for-ireland. Accessed 2 Aug. 2024.

Ireland Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland: The Energy Policy Framework 2007-2020. Dublin: Stationery Office, 2007.

Irish Wind Energy Association. “Wind Statistics.” Irish Wind Energy Association, 20 Apr. 2017, www.iwea.com/windstatistics. Accessed 16 Oct. 2017.

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