climate action plan

  • Low carbon generation

    RESS 2 by numbers

    Last Friday, RESS 2 auction results were published, with nearly 2GW of new renewables projects successful in getting awarded a contract. We have put together an infographic that explains the auction outcome and what these projects will bring to our electricity system. We have also released a report with Wind...

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    EV Charge Points

    As part of the Climate Action Plan, Ireland has committed to having nearly one million electric vehicles (EVs) on the road by 2030. To help encourage the uptake of EVs, a number of incentives have been put in place such as tax subsidies and generous grants toward the purchase of a new or...

  • Low carbon generation

    Ireland to fall short of existing climate targets under BaU approach

    Published on 13 September, a report by the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) has called for a new policy system to enable the rapid deployment of renewable electricity. The third in a series of four studies which make up the 70by30 Implementation Plan, Building Onshore Wind identifies policy changes required for Ireland to deliver the...

  • Low carbon generation

    New policy measures needed to drive renewable generation

    Published on 24 August, a new report by Energy Storage Ireland and the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) called for action to strengthen Ireland’s electricity grid. The second of a series of four studies which make up the government’s 70 by 30 Implementation Plan, Saving Power outlines how to minimise dispatch down and increase the use...

  • Low carbon generation

    RESS-won: renewables on the march

    Yesterday will be remembered as a good day for the Irish renewables industry, with the level of supported renewables capacity set to grow by over a quarter in the next 2-3 years. After years of waiting, the first Renewable Energy Support Scheme auction (RESS-1) results are here (provisionally, pending appeals)....

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    Off the pace: Irish EV sales lag 2030 target levels

    This week’s blog compares the number of electric cars, including hybrid variants, sold in Ireland to date in 2020 against the same period for 2019. It shows that in January, EV registrations rose by 73.6% to 5,739 compared with January 2019. In February, sales rose by 13.3% compared with the...

  • Low carbon generation

    Sail away: Offshore wind vs. RESS

    Last week the European Commission proposed a “Climate Law” enshrining in legislation the objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. In this week’s blog, we consider the role of wind in achieving this goal, and Irelands role in the European Green Deal. As we would expect, the green deal identifies...

  • Low carbon generation

    Corporate PPAs: Signed, sealed… delivered?

    Back in April of this year, following Amazon’s announcement of Ireland’s first unsubsidised corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA), we asked if this Amazon deal signalled growth in this sector or whether this would be an isolated example. Since then, the Irish Government published the Climate Action Plan (CAP) in June,...

  • E-mobility and low carbon

    Charging up – half-yearly Irish EV sales analysed

    Transport in Ireland accounts for one-third of energy consumption and energy-related CO2 emissions. This is due to ~93% of the 2.1mn passenger cars registered at the end of 2018 being fuelled by petrol and diesel. In acknowledgement of this substantial contribution to carbon emissions from road transport, the Irish government’s...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Inertial dampeners – power system frequency management

    A challenge for a system with 70% renewable electricity, as posited in the Climate Action Plan (CAP), will be managing frequency. Recent experience of our neighbouring market, Great Britain (GB), suggests this challenge may have to be faced in the near term. GB experienced two frequency events during 11 July,...

  • Energy storage and flexibility

    Operating the 2030 system: To 90% SNSP and beyond!

    Last week the Department of Communication, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) published the Climate Action Plan 2019, which sets out ambitious targets for Ireland to meet its decarbonisation obligations. For the electricity sector, this means 70% of all electricity generated will come from renewable sources by 2030. In this blog, we look at what...

  • Low carbon generation

    Ireland’s Climate Action Plan – closing the carbon gap

    On 17 June, Ireland’s Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) published the Climate Action Plan 2019. The report sets out cross-sector objectives aimed at reducing the nation’s carbon emissions. In this week’s blog, we look more closely as to how this may be achieved. Click here to view full...

  • Low carbon generation

    Clarity urgently needed to unlock Ireland’s offshore wind potential

    Ireland has some of Europe’s best wind resource. And yet, the large-scale deployment of the technology has fallen behind other markets largely as a result of a lack of strong policy support – it is more than 14 years since Arklow Bank, the country’s only operational wind farm was fully...