Emerging opportunities from Ireland’s sustainable energy transition
SEAI’s recent report suggests that Ireland’s supply chain will play a strategic role in the ongoing energy transition and further contribute to the nation’s economic growth and creation of jobs in the years ahead.
Supply chain mapping and analysis
Ireland is at a critical juncture in its transition to a sustainable energy future. As global efforts to combat climate change intensify, the nation faces both significant challenges and considerable opportunities.
SEAI carried out a supply chain mapping and analysis exercise to:
- identify opportunities across 5 critical sustainable energy technology areas in Ireland
- highlight ongoing policy development and market reforms that help navigate the complex and rapidly evolving energy landscape
- determine key focus areas to overcome existing challenges in the Irish sustainable energy market, and
- envision Ireland’s sustainable energy market and supply chain maps in 2030
This analysis aims to initiate discussions and debate between government agencies and departments, industry and other stakeholders on how to harness the sustainable energy supply transition to both reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and stimulate economic growth.
Ireland's approach to decarbonisation
The Irish government’s ambitious climate and energy targets, including the goal of achieving 80% renewable electricity generation by 2030, outline a clear pathway for energy transformation.
Ireland’s approach to decarbonising its energy system focuses on critical technology areas such as
- Renewable electricity generation: onshore wind, solar photovoltaics (PV), microgeneration (including small-scale wind, micro hydro and rooftop solar PV) and offshore renewable energy.
- Energy storage and grid balancing: smart grids (including transmission technology, grid forming inverters and grid-scale storage).
- Low-carbon transport: electric vehicles and charging stations.
- Energy in buildings: smart buildings and homes (including building control, automation and information systems), energy efficient construction (including building shells, insulation, glazing, windows, etc.), sustainable biomass heating (including wood chips/pellets) and district heating.
- Energy in industry: electrification of industrial processes (including heat pumps), and biomass anaerobic digestion
This SEAI report explores each of these areas in depth, providing valuable insights into where Irish enterprises can seize new opportunities and position themselves for long-term growth.
Emerging opportunities
Key findings indicate that Irish enterprises can effectively harness the opportunities presented by the transition to sustainable energy systems in the domestic market. The biggest potential internal markets for Irish enterprises are in energy efficient construction, electric vehicles, sustainable biomass heating and smart grids. Irish companies are well placed to capture a share of these four markets.
There is considerable scope for Irish suppliers to capture a share of the investment in sustainable energy technologies in Ireland, particularly in relation to construction, engineering services and financial services (Figure 1). From feasibility studies and planning to design, installation, and ongoing maintenance, Irish businesses can contribute expertise and services across the sustainable energy supply chain.
Irish market size by sector in 2030 across supply chains
| Sector | 1. No local supply chain | 2. Less well positioned | 3. Averagely positioned | 4. Well positioned | 5. Very well positioned |
| Agriculture | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 907 |
| Construction | 10 | 103 | 1 | 300 | 1,304 |
| Engineering | 842 | 0 | 577 | 813 | 1,004 |
| Financial | 0 | 0 | 247 | 468 | 352 |
| Manufacturing | 9,446 | 993 | 606 | 2,439 | 30 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Professional | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 218 |
| Public admin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 |
| Retail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 0 |
| Tech Support | 0 | 0 | 0 | 178 | 301 |
| Utilities | 16 | 5 | 224 | 35 | 470 |
Although manufacturing offers potential for Irish supply chain companies to gain market share, Irish suppliers are generally less competitive in this sector and the opportunities for exporting Irish manufactured products are somewhat limited.
Growing international markets offer Irish suppliers of sustainable energy products and services an export opportunity. However, it has been identified that there are currently limited capabilities to effectively engage with EU and global markets. Therefore, building a strong local market in Ireland could help create a springboard for future exports to wider markets.
Strategic opportunities exist for Irish R&D teams to contribute to the development and testing of next-generation technologies, such as advanced smart grid systems, offshore wind innovations, energy storage and sustainable biomass solutions. The report underscores the need to foster R&D capacity in Ireland to meet and exploit such opportunities.
Maximising the benefits of the energy transition
There is a need for strategic and coordinated efforts to support sustainable energy supply chains in Ireland to maximise the economic and environmental benefits of the energy transition.
Realising Ireland’s sustainable energy supply chain opportunities will require targeted action to overcome existing challenges. Key recommendations from the report include
- developing skills;
- enhancing local manufacturing;
- integrating digital technologies, and
- investing in robust infrastructure to support sustainable energy deployment and operations.
Overall, targeted interventions to build technical expertise, enterprises and markets will allow Ireland to continue to capture a share of the opportunities in the sustainable energy technologies of the future.
This report serves as both an analytical resource and a strategic guide for stakeholders including policymakers, industry leaders and enterprise agencies. It highlights where Ireland's strengths lie, identifies critical areas for further development, and sets out actionable recommendations to ensure that Ireland can successfully navigate the transition to sustainable energy.
With coordinated action and continued investment, Ireland could capture the economic, environmental, and social benefits of the sustainable energy transition. Strengthening supply chains, fostering innovation, and building capacity will be essential to securing Ireland’s sustainable energy future.
