“One of the major shifts that has taken place over
the course of the last few years”, explains Dr. Brian
Motherway, Chief Operations Officer of SEAI,
“is that energy is not a peripheral issue anymore.
Now the issue of energy has become central to
both government and business. The language
has changed also. It is no longer about what must
be done, but what can be done. The language of
opportunity has become part of the dialogue. That
is how the issue must be viewed, as an opportunity.
Right now, Ireland has a tremendous opportunity.
Globally, the shift is underway to reduce carbon
emissions by reducing our dependence on fossil
fuels. At this time, any country in the world can act
accordingly. Ireland is acting. Why might we win?”
Dr. Motherway explains that there are three reasons:
1) This area plays to Ireland’s skills in
ICT & Hi-Tech
“We have always been very strong in the ICT,
knowledge and high-value sectors. The entire green
space is particularly tech-driven. As the world’s 2nd
largest exporter of software, with a track record
of innovation in this area, we are equipped with
the skills to innovate on this side. An example of
an Irish company doing so currently in this area is
ResourceKraft, a Limerick-based company that
tracks energy data using advanced IT”.
2) The agenda is about change and adaptation
– Ireland is the ideal Test-Bed
“Change and adaptation is something that Ireland
has consistently proven to be particularly good
at over the course of its recent history. The small
size of the island makes it an ideal location for
companies to test-bed, develop and internationalise
products and services in order to prove their
offering in a real-world environment before
bringing them to larger markets. A current example
of this is the roll-out of electric cars in Ireland by
Renault and Nissan. On January 1st 2011, grants
and tax rebate schemes were introduced in order
to encourage uptake in this area. We expect 2,000
electric vehicles to be on the roads by the end of
the year. Electric vehicles are also very IT intensive
machines, so that is another area in which Irish
companies are already adding value. Irish companies
are developing next-generation touch screen GPS
systems specifically for electric cars – they inform
the user as to how much life is left in the car’s
battery and communicate remotely with units in
your house when you are arriving home, in order to
notify them to prepare the battery charger.”
3) Ireland’s Ocean Resource is second to none
“Ireland’s sea territory is ten times the size of its
land territory. That is equivalent to a country the
size of Germany. This gives us a massive advantage
when it comes to wave and tidal energy. We already
have two companies that are leading the world in
this area, Open Hydro and Wavebob. Both have
been successful in winning international business.”
“This is a small and fluid country, so with the
right planning and grid development, particularly
in moving to a Smart Grid system, we have the
capacity to excel. Of course, we are facing very
strong competition in this area from the likes of
Scotland and Portugal. We must act now, because it
is a race that could be lost by the end of 2012, but we
will not know if we have won before 2030”.
“Ireland also has superior wind resources and this
81