Powering the Transition
Interview with Dr. Eddie O’Connor, Chief Executive,
Mainstream Renewable Power
Dr. Eddie O’Connor, founder of Airtricity which
sold for €1.8 billion in 2008, is still hard at work,
as Chief Executive of his new venture, Mainstream
Renewable Power.
The week before I met him he had been invited to
meet British Prime Minister David Cameron in
order to discuss the Supergrid in the North Sea that
is to connect Ireland with Britain, enabling crossborder transfer of electricity.
I asked Dr. O’Connor why he considered the
supergrid concept to be so crucial,
“We invented the concept of the European
Supergrid in 2001. Wind is variable. It never blows
consistently in one place. In order for wind energy
to become mainstream, we must somehow cope
with this variance. We have studied wind and storm
patterns extensively. Over a large area – say 5,000
km, the wind will always be blowing in some places
when it is not in others. The conclusion that we have
come to is that, if you can connect the mechanics of
electricity distribution over this large area – wind
powered electricity can even itself o ut, thus leading
the way to wind energy becoming mainstream. We
are getting real traction now. Being part of the EU
has really helped in terms of bringing it forward.
Joining the EU was the single biggest decision in
modern Irish history.”
“In terms of why the Supergrid is needed, you
have to look at the current situation, assess what’s
happening, and see where we can go from here.”
“Brent crude oil is currently trading at $98 per
barrel. China has added an additional demand of
one million barrels per day to the overall demand
for oil. We are either at the peak or past the peak.
There is a shift to gas, but ultimately, that is in
limited supply as well. If we want to have a system