has meant that our wind farm sector has developed
very rapidly, now accounting for 10% of our
electricity usage. Offshore wind is more productive,
and our excellent ocean resource is there to exploit
in this regard also, although this is a more
capital-intensive exercise”.
So, what are the ingredients that are required
in order to make sure that Ireland rises to the
challenge?
“Well, there are two key questions I believe, and
they pertain to two key challenges:
1)
The extent of the change required
2)
The extent of the leadership required
It is the mission of SEAI to quantify the challenge
that we face, to make recommendations on what
policy should be, and then to implement our portion
of that policy when it comes back down. We see
ourselves as a broker”.
In addition to the considerable accomplishments of
Irish wind companies like Airtricity, many SMEs
have had success in the wind sector in Ireland.
Wind developer, Richard Walshe of Alternative
Renewable Technologies (ART) Generation is based
at the Synergy Centre in ITT Tallaght. Having
developed 10 wind projects throughout the country
since 2002, as well as a bio ethanol project in the
works, Walshe is in a position to appreciate the
progress that Ireland has made over time.
He is of the opinion that,
“All stakeholders are now actively pursuing wind
farms. Previous bottlenecks have been overcome
and there is now a concerted approach to meeting
our renewables targets. Ireland is well advanced and
will become a world leader.”
SEAI’s Brian Motherway monitors Ireland’s
progress towards these targets on a macro level,
“The starting point for us has always been the
reduction of current energy usage. At the moment,
Ireland imports 90% of its energy needs. We are
already using this energy, so the first question to ask
ourselves is: how can we use it more effectively and
efficiently?”
“SEAI’s grant schemes enable the public to avail
of favourable financial incentives with regard
to insulation upgrades to their homes and the
installation of new energy-efficient boilers. The
Home Energy Saving scheme was introduced
18 months ago, and already 60,000 homes have
been upgraded. At the moment, there are 1,000
homes being upgraded per week, generating over
€1 million per day for the wider economy. The
programme has had a 98.5% approval rating. It has
saved energy, reduced emissions and lowered bills.
Most importantly, it has created jobs – and these are
clean tech jobs”.
“SEAI works very closely with the stakeholders
that have an interest in bringing the Smart Grid
to fruition. This will be crucial for Ireland. We
have the ideal environment for it here because we
can serve as a test-bed for integrating the disparate
concepts that form the Smart Grid vision. Of
course, in terms of our goal of becoming an energy
exporter, the finalisation of the interconnector
Dr. Brian Motherway,
Chief Operations Officer, SEAI