With an annual per capita CO2 production 50% higher than the UK, still burning coal, importing 86% of all energy used (with very limited own oil and gas reserves), and there are some places still allowed to use peat for heating, Ireland is not very green.
But Ireland’s economy should be one of the easier ones to decarbonise. It’s services-based and there isn’t much in the way of heavy industry, so no large-scale steel or concrete production to worry about. The key concerns are transport, and heating and cooling buildings.
Ireland is also ‘blessed’ by wind. The hurricanes that develop in the Caribbean eventually work their way across the Atlantic and the first land they encounter is Ireland. Already, 40% of electricity is generated by wind, with plans to increase this further.
Ireland’s politicians have pledged to Net Zero, but given the long timescales, they, like others, won’t be the ones tasked with delivery.
Ireland also has no nuclear power, not much in the way of hydro, and the difficult economics of battery storage apply here as much as anywhere. But as the whole economy electrifies, wind without sufficient storage cannot hope to provide for more than 40% of total energy use.
What should Ireland do?
Ireland should pursue a demand side energy revolution, taking advantage of their service-based economy to put control of energy in the hands of its businesses and people. Through demand reduction and flexibility, EV and battery adoption, and efficiency measures such as insulation and heat pumps, Ireland could move much faster than the rest of Europe.
Ireland can also make use of what appears to be a huge amount of inward investment from many global companies, who have chosen Ireland due to low corporation tax rates but are keen to demonstrate their green credentials.
