The Irish government signed up to the recent Glasgow Climate Pact and used the summit to announce a raft of ambitious goals, including the development of 5 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy up to 2030. That would more than double the country’s current onshore and offshore wind power capacity. Compared to some of its more outlandish ambitions, such as having nearly a million electric vehicles on Ireland’s roads by 2030, the offshore wind target actually seems achievable. After all, the Republic of Ireland’s maritime area extends far into the Atlantic Ocean and is roughly ten times the size of its land area. The total offshore wind resource is enough to comfortably power the country’s electricity needs. Given more than 30 projects with a total capacity of around 29 GW are in various stages of planning, then it does indeed seem the 5 GW target can be reached by 2030. However, the Irish government has a rather bad track record when it comes to delivering on climate plans and Ireland is currently one of the worst performers in the EU. Rewind back to COP21 in Paris, 2015. The then taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny announced that “We have committed, with our EU partners, to a collective target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030”. With the same breath he then claimed it was okay if the national cattle herd would grow.
The Conversation 18th Jan 2022 read more »