Net Zero for IE
What will Net Zero look like for Ireland? The answer lies in a new strategy document published today.
Today’s new document from ESB Networks outlines it’s strategy to accomplish Ireland’s Climate Action Plan (CAP23) with reference to our National Energy Security Framework (NESF), the RePowerEu plan and various other regulatory and strategy documents.
The document “Networks for Net Zero” outlines in broad strokes the measures being taken and the headline numbers for a zero carbon electricity grid.
The numbers are both credible and achievable.
€10 Billion investment in our grid infrastructure by 2030 represents a significant increase over current spend, and is intended to accommodate …
– 8 GW of Solar PV based generation
– 9 GW of Onshore wind based generation
– 5 GW of Offshore wind generation with an additional 2 GW offshore wind for ‘green-hydrogen’ production.
– PLUS+ a range of storage, EV, smart meter, and other measures to prepare the grid for 80% renewables by 2030, with 30% demand flexibility.
It’s a mammoth task, not just to decarbonise the electricity distribution system, and prepare for the connection of renewables in a flexible way, but the grid also has to be resilient.
Electricity networks have been engineered, built, and maintained on stability. Stability is the watchword.
Computer networks on the other hand are inherently vulnerable.
Keeping an electricity network run by open computer networks stable and secure is a mammoth undertaking where security means stability and vice-versa.
There are other huge challenges too, which we might address in another article.
Let’s focus on the good news for now!
8 GW of Solar PV based Generation
8 Gigawatts (peak) is the largest number we have seen to date in terms of Ireland’s recognition of solar energy.
It’s a good number, a credible number, approaching the 10-20 GW of Solar PV we will eventually end up with.
This 8 GW seems inspired in large part by EU leadership and EU funding, and in particular by the RePowerEU program which was introduced in 2022 with significant funding attached.
Now Ireland needs to quickly ramp-up our solar capabilities in order to deploy 8 GW by 2030.
Our estimate translates this 8 GW figure to somewhere in the region of 18 million solar panels at current output ratings.
They all need cabling and mounting, and they all need to be pointed in the right direction at the right time to produce the right amount of electricity.
Rural Electrification on Steroids
This new document from ESB Networks represents a paradigm shift in Ireland’s attitude to solar energy.
It’s a milestone document, with echoes of previous milestone projects in Ireland, like Ardnacrusha, Rural Electrification and Turlough Hill.
All of these ESB projects carry a lot of latent good will.
Irish people both need and want the ESB to succeed in their current endeavours. All our good wishes to the ESB in this massive and critical program of works.
The company has to ensure their new, significantly increased, workforce is enabled to complete a project that is rural-electrification-times-infinity-squared.
It’s a very exciting time to be a solar engineer in Ireland.
Contact Us today if you want your project to be part of the 8 GW of solar PV generation which will drive Ireland’s development for generations to come.
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