BUSINESS FIRST NORTHERN IRELAND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2017
The future of investment in renewables
n June 2016 , it was announced that the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation
I( NIRO ) scheme for financial support for renewable projects , such as larger onshore wind and solar , was to be closed .
This has made the future of renewable investment in Northern Ireland somewhat uncertain . Renewable projects that have been approved , installed , and commissioned by 31st March 2017 will continue to receive NIRO support , and in the UK , the Government is still looking at how to use the Contract for Difference ( CfD ) to support new renewable energy projects without subsidy . It has yet to be seen how this will impact the implementation of renewable installations in Northern Ireland .
Historically , renewable uptake has progressed well within the province , resulting in over 25 per cent of Northern Ireland ’ s electricity coming from renewable sources , with over 85 per cent coming from largescale onshore wind .
As the cheapest form of renewable energy , this is good news for local consumers and the local economy . While wind energy is the largest contributor to our renewable energy target , other forms of power are playing their part . Hydro , landfill gas , and bioenergy are all important , and solar PV is continuing to grow in popularity .
Northern Ireland has seen five years of steady growth in largescale renewable electricity , with a marked increase in small scale and microgeneration in 2015 .
This growth gives confidence that the current target 40 per cent our electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020 – will be met , providing that our grid infrastructure is given suitable investment to support the technology .
It is well understood that the grid network in Northern Ireland is severely under demand from load , but it is also under pressure from renewable sources pushing up the voltage beyond what is acceptable to the operators , hence the need for control and upgrade .
The network in Northern Ireland has approximately 8,00010,000 demand connection applications each year , with a typical 75 / 25 domestic / industrial split . The good news is that over 925MW of renewable generation has been connected to date .
The “ bad ” news is , for this to be sustainable , we should we be looking at upgrading the network , but we should also consider a SMARTer way of working with our energy markets and providers – from grid networks to “ behind the meter ” applications .
Active Harmonic Filters ( AHF ) and Static Var Generators ( SVG ) ensure power quality remains at a high standard , and energy storage is currently a need in our markets .
GES have developed a partnership with Sinexcel as the only approved UK and Ireland supplier of their innovative , noncapacitorbased , AHF and SVG products , and GES strive to implement a new Energy Storage Solution in the UK and Irish markets in 2017 .
MOREINFORMATION
For more information on GES Group , their products and services , go to : www . ges-group . com , or call Head Office on : 028 2565 6406 .
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