Green News ie has had sight of a draft plan on climate change which will ensure Ireland reaches 70% renewable energy by 2030.However the plan if enacted will ensure that substantial work to achieve that aim will happen within the next three years:
“An ambitious target to increase the share of renewables in electricity generation to 70 per cent by 2030 is set to be included in a highly anticipated report from the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action.
“The latest draft of the committee’s report, seen by The Green News and set to be released later this week, points toward the adoption of a new regulatory framework to push for the development of offshore wind generation.
“Just last week, a €31 million project was approved for an ambitious four-year floating offshore wind project at a Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) test site near Belmullet in Co Mayo. Deployment is currently planned for 2022 subject to planning consent.
“Eirgrid is set to be greenlighted to integrate up to 65 per cent renewable capacity onto the existing grid as part of ambitions to boost renewables penetration to at least 75 per cent of peak demand by the end of 2020.
“However, the committee report draft – which is still subject to changes – states that current grid connectivity policy “is no longer fit for purpose” due to barriers for citizen-led micro-generation.
“The State’s new climate policy should look to break down barricades between community and Government bodies by involving citizens in the transition from fossil-fuel to clean energy, the draft states.”
Full report at Green News ie:
https://greennews.ie/climate-action-committee-set-call-70-…/
A key feature of the plan is the ending or electricity generation by the major coal burning plant at Moneypoint and the phasing out of peat fired generation.
Image: Moneypoint coal fired power station Co Clare, Ireland.
Bernard Moffatt
Celtic League
