Public and private sectors pull together for clean energy

EirGrid, the state-owned electric power transmission operator, is the physical heart of Ireland’s transition to clean energy.

It is making the grid ready to carry up to 80 per cent of Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources, as set out in the Government’s Climate Action Plan.

EirGrid’s “Shaping Our Electricity Future” roadmap provides a pathway to achieving this, says Mark Foley, its chief executive.

The roadmap outlines the key developments from a networks, engagement, operations and market perspective needed to support a secure transition to at least 70 per cent renewables on the electricity grid by 2030 — an important step on the journey to 80 per cent and to net zero emissions by 2050.

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It also identifies the transmission network reinforcements needed to manage both renewable generation and demand growth.

A detailed review of public and industry consultation feedback, combined with EirGrid’s analysis of the electricity grid, system operations and electricity markets, shows there is enough planned renewable capacity to meet the country’s renewable ambition.

“To achieve this, additional network infrastructure must be built. Our studies identify a significant number of required network reinforcement projects to modernise the grid capability so that the renewable energy developments can be supported,” says Foley.

“Building network infrastructure is complex and can take many years to deliver from planning through to energisation. The scale of work outlined in the roadmap will be challenging but we are confident in our capacity to deliver.”

Targets

The delivery of onshore wind in particular has already been a success story for Ireland and will continue to deliver on decarbonisation targets while reducing the cost of electricity to the consumer, says Maria Ryan, director of development at SSE Renewables.

“In many respects, we’re world leaders at incorporating wind energy on to our system and we have built up excellent experience and skills here in the last two decades or so. But as we’ve seen over the last year between geopolitical instability and the clear daily impacts of climate change across the globe it’s no doubt the time to pick up the pace, it’s never been more important,” she adds.

She believes Ireland now has “a golden opportunity” to develop offshore wind energy which it has heretofore been slow to grab.

But how the public and private sector work together will be vital.

“There are lots of interfaces between public and private sector in the energy sector and it’s critical that these continue and deepen to ensure policy is deliverable by industry. We have seen great ambition from Government and this must be followed by delivery in order to further drive confidence in the market,” says Ryan.

“Industry has responded to policy developments and new legislation by developing projects and ensuring they are in a position to deliver for Ireland. The more certainty that can be provided the more investment will be driven into the industry.”

The challenges are significant, however. “One of the main challenges is that we’re competing with the rest of the world to secure vessels and wind turbines for [the] offshore project, and we’re a relatively small fish in a big pond. We need to send strong signals and set high ambitions to make the market more attractive from both an investment and a supply chain perspective, which will deliver maximum benefits for the planet, energy security and the economy,” says Ryan.

A second challenge is expertise. “We’re creating an entirely new offshore industry and the authorities need to be well-resourced to ensure that projects can be progressed in a fair manner but at pace,” she adds.

Renewables

Decarbonising the grid is at a mature stage. “We’ve a lot of history now of taking renewables onto the grid. That’s an area we are strong in,” says Liam McKenna, a partner at Mazars Ireland.

However, the Government’s new offshore wind policy, published in March, was met with some consternation.

It contained two major changes, including a requirement that all future offshore wind farms must be built in designated marine areas, which have not yet been identified.

It also proposes that future offshore wind farms must connect with offshore substations to be designed and built by EirGrid. But EirGrid has no experience in building these.

Uncertainty in relation to rules and regulations risks slowing investment, says McKenna.

Bord na Móna adopted its “Brown to Green” strategy in 2018, at a time when peat was central to the company’s profitability and viability. That year, in the electricity sector alone, the peat supplied by Bord na Mona, just for electricity generation, was responsible for the emission of over two million tonnes of CO2. In 2024, this figure will be zero.

The dramatic reversal follows Bord na Móna’s announcement in January 2021 to permanently cease peat harvesting and re-orientate the organisation as a climate solutions company.

Bord na Móna’s corporate and sustainability strategy is now very much aligned with Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. The company is focused on renewables, recycling, peatlands rehabilitation and developing low-carbon enterprises.

Last year, Bord na Móna energised two new wind farms bringing its total renewable generation assets under management to over 700 Megawatts (MW). This year a further 175MW of renewables is under construction.

“Bord na Móna recognises that if the end goal of a net zero society is to be achieved, partnerships between commercial semi-states, public and private sector actors will be essential,” says Dr John MacNamara, head of corporate sustainability at Bord na Móna.

In 2022, Bord na Móna announced a new partnership with a leading international offshore wind energy expert, Ocean Winds. “This long-term, exclusive partnership will see Ocean Winds and Bord na Móna co-own, identify and develop offshore wind energy opportunities around the coast of Ireland. The projects have the potential to generate up to 2.3 GW of clean and renewable electricity to power up to 2.1 million homes by 2030,” he says.

Back on land, Bord na Móna is also teaming up with partners to help decarbonise sectors including heating and transport by investing in renewable hydrogen production via wind and biogas from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste streams.

Certainty

If it is to achieve the goal of net zero by 2050 the Government needs to work in partnership with enterprises and consumers. 2020 saw the launch of the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), which provides financial support for the development of renewable energy projects, including solar.

“RESS was designed to incentivise the development of sustainable and renewable energy sources, and is forward-looking in the long-term energy needs of Ireland, something which gives a level of certainty to the private sector and allows companies like Huawei to help contribute to Ireland’s new green energy transition, especially through our Solar PV solutions at both residential and commercial scale,” says David Trevitt, digital transformation adviser at Huawei Ireland Research Centre.

In July 2022, the Irish Government committed additional resources for 5,500MW of solar generation.

Earlier this year one of the first utility-scale solar farms to be developed under the Government’s RESS was connected to the national grid. The Irish arm of French energy giant EDF commenced operating its first three solar farms in Wexford and Kilkenny, a combined capacity of 17 megawatts (MW), capable of powering the equivalent of 6,600 homes.

“A close collaboration between the public and private sector is essential to delivering long-term energy solutions in Ireland,” says Trevitt. “By working together, these collaborations can ensure that the country has a reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy system that meets the needs of both current and future generations.”