Renewable Energy
Renewable energy resources are abundantly available in Ireland. The main sources are:
- the sun (solar energy)
- the wind
- water (hydropower, wave and tidal energy)
- heat below the surface of the earth (geothermal energy)
- biomass (wood, waste, energy crops).
However, only a fraction of these resources have been tapped so far. They offer sustainable alternatives to our dependency on fossil fuels as well as a means of reducing harmful greenhouse emissions and opportunities to reduce our reliance on imported fuels.
Renewable energy resources are constantly replenished through the cycles of nature - their supply will never be exhausted. Fossil fuels, on the other hand, are finite resources. They will become increasingly scarce and expensive to extract and supplies will become concentrated in politically volatile areas of the world before reserves are finally exhausted.
A gradual shift towards using renewable energy would mean:
- reduced CO2 emissions
- secure and stable energy supply for the long term
- reduced reliance on expensive fuel imports
- investment and employment in our indigenous renewable energy projects, often in rural and underdeveloped areas
In 2008, renewable energy sources meet about 3.9% of Ireland’s total final consumption. This figure breaks down into roughly half of all renewable energy from renewable sources of electricity, 30% from heat (wood fuel in the domestic and wood processing sectors) and 10% from biofuels. EU policy targets an increase in the contribution of renewables to 12% of Europe’s total energy by 2010.
Renewable Electricity Targets
In 2008, the share of renewable energy in gross electrical consumption of the countries of the European Union contributed 13.4%. By 2010, it is the objective of the EU to raise this contribution to 22.1% from all EU 15 countries. The share of electricity from renewable energy in Ireland was 11.9% in 2008. The Irish government target is to achieve a 15% share of renewables in gross electricity consumption by 2010.