Dublin must back the offshore wind sector if Ireland is to have any chance of reaching future renewable electricity targets, an industry conference has heard.
Paddy Teahon, head of national lobby group NOW Ireland, said new 2030 targets will require additional forms of clean electricity generation.
Teahon told the ‘Second Wind’ conference, an event organised by local engineering consultancy GDG, that Ireland is already set to miss its 2020 renewable energy target of 16%.
New 2030 ambitions, due to be set by the EU, are likely to be double that, he added.
“It is the reason why offshore wind has to play a role because of in terms of renewables, it is the only one available to Ireland that has the scale to deal with that type of requirement,” he said.
Several other speakers from Siemens Gamesa, Seaway Heavy Lifting and Mainstream Renewable Power discussed the opportunities for the Irish sector and the lessons learned from the European offshore industry.
The Irish government is currently designing a new renewables support mechanism, which is likely to provide a route to market in some form for the offshore sector for the first time.
Image: Ireland’s only offshore wind farm, the Arklow Bank project off County Wickow (NREL)
Irish demand offshore action
By EBS