Renewable Energy Policy

Renewable energy constitutes a core element of the Government’s overarching energy policy. As outlined in the Government’s Energy White Paper (2007), this policy is built around the three important pillars of:

• security of supply;
• environmental sustainability and;
• economic competitiveness

It is widely acknowledged that renewable energy has a significant role to play in meeting all three of these objectives. As the White Paper states,

Renewable energy is an integral part of our climate change strategy and sustainability objectives. The additional diversity which renewables bring to Ireland’s energy demand will also make a direct contribution to our goal of ensuring secure and reliable energy supplies.

In this section, you will find information on Irish Government renewable energy policy. The information is grouped under five main headings:

• policy drivers
• EC Directives
• policy support mechanisms   
• policy initiatives
• policy indicators