Carbon emissions from Ireland’s electricity sector can be cut from almost ten million tonnes annually to under two million tonnes by 2030 if the renewables expansion is fully supported, according to a new report.
The report, authored by Baringa and published by Wind Energy Ireland, said three key conditions that must be met to deliver this.
First, the drive towards the existing government targets of 8,200 MW of onshore wind and 5,000 MW of offshore wind must be accelerated, while a more ambitious target for 5,000 MW of solar power is required.
EirGrid must also replace its current, fossil-fuel based, back-up system with one which uses zero-carbon technology like battery storage and demand response.
Meanwhile, the electricity grid must be strengthened over the next ten years with new grid infrastructure, the completion of critical projects like the North-South Interconnector and investment in EirGrid’s DS3 programme which integrates renewables onto the system.
Elsewhere, a carbon price floor must be introduced to the Irish electricity market and a switch to green hydrogen and long-duration storage technology is recommended.
WEI chief executive Noel Cunniffe said: “We can choose to cut carbon emissions in our electricity system by almost 80 per cent by 2030. The Baringa research makes clear that we can do this using proven, existing, technology and that it will save the Irish electricity consumer approximately €180 million annually.
“The report also goes further, setting out how the development of green hydrogen, long-duration on storage and putting a fair carbon price for fossil fuels in the electricity market can deliver a net-zero electricity system. After more than 140 years we are finally in the endgame for fossil fuels in the production of electricity.”