Infrastructure, innovation and speed needed to hit renewables targets

The Republic has come a long way since the early 2000s, its renewable electricity supply having increased from 5 per cent in 2005 to 37 per cent in 2022. However, the scale and speed of this effort must substantially increase to reach 2030 targets.

It has taken the State up to this point to develop 5 gigawatts (GW) of operational onshore wind and solar capacity but the Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2024 is targeting more than 20GW of renewable power generation. This will require records to be broken every year for the remainder of the decade.

For example, the CAP targets of 8GW solar photovoltaic (PV) and 9GW onshore wind power production by 2030 requires the State to install, on average, 1.8GW worth of onshore renewables facilities each year. Offshore wind will also be pivotal in the renewable transformation and will make a significant contribution to reaching the Government’s CAP targets.

James Delahunt, corporate finance partner, sustainable futures, at KPMG in Ireland, sees onshore wind as leading the field so far.

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“Up to this point Ireland has had the most success in developing our onshore wind generation capacity, with about 4.3GW of operational assets and a significant additional amount in development,” he says.

“Onshore wind energy will save more carbon emissions this decade than any other technology in the entire CAP. Solar PV has the best opportunity to scale up at the fastest rate. Solar projects have recently proven to have shorter development time frames due to lower levels of planning objections and reducing costs of construction and development.

“The opportunity for offshore wind is enormous, with Ireland’s sea area being seven times that of its land mass, and it will become the cornerstone of Ireland’s energy transition beyond 2030. In addition, we expect other technologies like biomethane, long-duration energy storage and hydrogen to play a role in the renewables mix in the years to come.”

Chris Collins, country president Ireland of Schneider Electric, sees a huge appetite for renewable energy in Ireland.

“We have the tools and the skills to make the transition happen but progress has been painfully slow,” says Collins. “Ireland has natural resources like wind in abundance but to properly utilise wind, solar and other clean energy resources we need to invest heavily in upgrading and restructuring the national grid.

“The answer lies in a smarter and more decentralised grid based on a network of microgrids – self-contained sites that allow you to generate your own electricity using a mix of renewables – to add resiliency.

“By doing so, we can transition from one central point of electrical generation to literally thousands of points of electrical generation, effectively transforming our homes and businesses into producers of energy.

“Microgrids can be rolled out at a quicker pace than national grid upgrades, and at a fraction of the cost, helping us to move away from fossil fuels and remove our dependence on foreign gas imports.

“However, delays in planning permission for onshore wind, solar farms and microgrids is slowing down the transition to renewables in Ireland. This is holding up projects, blocking investment and, ultimately, preventing Ireland from achieving its net zero targets.

Modernisation and decarbonisation of the grid won’t be enough on its own, which is why we need to look at a decentralised model that will help to transform our homes, businesses and factories into producers of energy

—  Chris Collins, Schneider Ireland

“Reforms are needed to speed up the planning process to develop sites, create new jobs and supply chains, and bolster the green economy. The faster we can deploy assets, the quicker we can build out this new decentralised infrastructure and speed up the process of decarbonisation.

“But the delays are preventing businesses from releasing sites on which to deploy wind turbines, solar farms and power distribution equipment that can deliver energy efficiencies in the short-term.”

It is a given that Ireland’s unique geographic position and windy climate makes it well suited for both onshore and offshore wind generation.

However, while solar power might seem less intuitive in a country known for its less-than-Mediterranean summers, Ireland possesses significant solar potential. Solar generation can occur even on overcast days and, from May to September, extended daylight hours further enhance its viability.

Derval O’Brien, head of sustainability at Three Ireland, points to the success of a solar PV project the company undertook two years ago.

“We embarked on a successful solar PV project in 2022, initially conducting a proof of concept on a limited number of network sites,” she says.

“Building upon this success, we expanded solar installations to an additional 90 sites in 2023 in conjunction with Cellnex, resulting in an installed capacity of approximately 470kW.

“Notably, some sites now meet 6 to 10 per cent of their power needs through PV and we’ve even seen that some sites are power neutral on the grid between 2pm an 4pm in the afternoon.

“While not yet fully powering sites, these solar initiatives significantly reduce reliance on the national grid.”

A 2022 report from the Irish Solar Energy Association underscores the potential of solar projects, noting their high approval rate and quick movement through the planning process. This makes them a key tool in achieving the State’s renewables targets, alongside their increasing popularity for domestic installations.

“In addition to Ireland’s suitability for solar and wind, there are financial reasons to pursue these technologies – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identifies wind and solar power as the most cost-effective technologies for reducing emissions and limiting global warming to a 1.5-degree Celsius increase,” says O’Brien.

“Thus, investing in these renewable sources not only aligns with Ireland’s climate conditions but also contributes to global efforts in combating climate change.”

Collins argues that we need to move faster and act smarter.

“The process of electrification – or decarbonisation – is essential to support climate change and the shift to net zero but that process is no longer a marathon; it’s now a sprint – or a 50-yard dash,” he says.

“Modernisation and decarbonisation of the grid won’t be enough on its own, which is why we need to look at a decentralised model that will help to transform our homes, businesses and factories into producers of energy, taking pressure off the grid to provide us with a more sustainable energy supply. We need more investment in infrastructure to achieve this.”

Indaver runs a facility that is the first of its kind in Ireland, treating more than 200,000 tonnes of municipal waste per year and generating 18MW of electricity – enough to power more than 42,000 homes.

“Twenty years ago waste was going to landfill and now in our waste-to-energy plant in Meath we are recovering a valuable resource: energy,” says Indaver director of policy, Jackie Keaney.

“The next step for us is decarbonisation. We are using a hydrogen project to store electricity so nothing is wasted. And if you can produce green hydrogen, you are decarbonising the electricity.”

Since these projects bear huge costs, it is important for developers to understand that Ireland offers a stable and positive environment for investment. Marie Lucey, partner and head of renewable energy, M&A, at Deloitte, believes it’s all about getting the environment right for investment.

“If we think about renewables in Ireland, we’ve had pretty good development and onshore wind over the last 10 or so 15 years but we need to have more ambitious targets,” says Lucey. “This is where we need to ensure there is a solid pipeline of investor money to come into the country.

“Taiwan is a good example of attracting major offshore wind projects. You might imagine that geopolitically it might be tricky but the Government made a very clear pipeline and vision to support these projects.

“Contrast that with the UK last year where they hosted an auction for offshore projects but, due to the uneconomic subsidies, no one participated.

“Therefore, we need stability to attract international investment – typically these projects cost billions of euro. As a result, developers need clarity on things like regulation, planning and Government support.”