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Ireland’s Environment – An Assessment 2016

168

Alternative Fuels

Promoting the use of alternative fuels including

electricity is a key policy objective

.

The use of alternative fuels, including electricity, forms a

significant part of government policy to reduce transport

emissions. Under the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive

(2009/28/EC), Ireland is obliged to deliver 10% of transport

energy by renewable sources by 2020 – this is called the

RES-T (renewable energy in transport) target. The Biofuels

Obligation Scheme, which places an obligation on suppliers

of transport fuels to ensure that 6% (by volume) of petrol

and diesel is produced from renewable sources, e.g.

ethanol and biodiesel, is set to increase this obligation to

8% from 2017 (NORA, 2016). In practice, the consumption

of biofuel is predominantly achieved by the blending

of liquid biofuels with petrol and diesel. Biodiesel is the

dominant biofuel (72%), with the rest being bioethanol.

To promote renewable electricity in transport, a grant

support scheme for electric vehicles (EVs) enables

purchasers of such vehicles to receive up to €5,000 off

the cost price, and EVs are also treated favourably under

the motor tax system, qualifying for VRT relief of up to

€5,000. In addition, a tax incentive for companies paying

corporation tax allows companies to write off 100% of the

purchase value of qualifying energy-efficient equipment

against their profit in the year of purchase. In 2014, the

Electricity Supply Board (ESB) successfully completed the

installation of electric vehicle fast chargers across the

country, with a fast charger located every 60km along

Ireland’s main roads (ESB, 2016).

Electric Vehicles: Case Study of the

Aran Islands Electric Vehicle project

Twenty-four households on the Aran Islands have

participated in a pilot project to demonstrate the smart

grid technologies needed to transfer and store wind

energy in EVs. Each household was fitted with an

innovative smart charger unit that could be accessed

remotely to allow matching of available wind power

with vehicle-charging requirements. It was found that

EVs have reduced reliance on imported energy for

transport by 68%, and analysis shows that this could

be cut further by replacing heating systems with heat

pumps powered by wind or wave energy (SEAI, 2015).

Planning for Sustainable Transport

Land use planning should be consistent with spatial

planning objectives.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is responsible

for ensuring that integration of land use and transport

planning in the Greater Dublin Area is consistent with

spatial planning objectives. The Transport Strategy for the

Greater Dublin Area 2016‑2035

has now been approved

by the DTTAS and sets out the principles for land use and

transport integration (NTA, 2016).

The DTTAS funds the NTA to administer a range of

behavioural change programmes. These include the

Smarter Travel Workplaces, Smarter Travel Campuses and

Green Schools Travel programmes, which are designed to

raise awareness around more sustainable travel options

and to encourage a shift away from the car to more

sustainable modes of transport. The Dublin Bikes scheme

has been a great success, and the scheme has been rolled

out to the regional cities of Cork, Galway and Limerick,

while taxation incentives, such as the Bike to Work

scheme, have also been very successful.

Smarter Travel Areas: Case Study

of Smarter Travel Areas – Limerick,

Dungarvan, Westport

Under the Smarter Travel Areas (STA) programme,

three areas (Limerick City, Dungarvan and Westport)

have officially become Ireland’s Smarter Travel

Demonstration Areas 2012‑2016. They represent a

city area, a medium-sized town and a small town.

The three areas will see a combined investment of

€23 million in order to encourage a behavioural

switch to more sustainable forms of transport

such as cycling, walking and public transport. This

investment in Smarter Travel Areas is intended to

reduce congestion and pollution, improve road safety,

create local employment opportunities, and improve

people’s health and fitness, as well as enhancing local

townscapes and streetscapes. A 2016 interim report

evaluated the modal shift seen so far in these areas

when compared with Dublin, with increased uptake

in both walking and cycling, particularly in Westport

(Figure 10.7).