Madam, – In order to explain to Dick Keane (March 30th) it is necessary to correct his error that 95 per cent of our electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels. SEI’s publication Energy in Ireland 1990 – 2008 states that electricity consumption from renewable energy in 2008 was 11.9 per cent.
This is up from 9.4 per cent in 2007 and suggests that Ireland will meet the target of 15 per cent for this year. The target for 2020 is 33 per cent. As Denmark already generates 20 per cent of its electricity from wind power alone, perhaps this form of energy is not as “delusional” as Mr Keane suggests.
The establishment of a network of 1,500 kerb-side charging stations will lead to increased demand for electric vehicles. This will in turn reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, improving both air and water quality, and reducing noise pollution. Furthermore, wind power is ideally suited for use with electric vehicles because it is a variable power supply. – Yours, etc,