EPA - Ireland's Environment, An Integrated Assessment - 2020

Chapter 12: The Environment and Energy Electricity Generation, Electrification and Industry Increased use of wind energy and the switch to gas from coal for electricity generation means that the carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland has decreased; however, there is still a way to go to reach zero fossil emissions and climate neutrality. Electricity generation in Ireland has evolved around a centralised generation capacity supported by a complex transmission grid and distribution system with limited storage (e.g. via pumped hydropower). The centralised generation was based on the combustion of coal, oil and peat and, later, gas. This model is being increasingly challenged by the requirements to provide access to renewable energy such as wind power and increasing options for small-scale energy generation and storage. In 2018 there was a significant decline in the combustion of coal in electricity generation. This was combined with an increasing uptake of wind energy. Gas made up around 13.7 per cent of the reduction in coal and peat generation, while wind made up 53.8 per cent. The remainder was made up of increased electricity imports (26.7%) and non-renewable waste generation (5.8%). To an extent, this reflects the increasing costs of carbon emissions under the European Emissions Trading System (ETS). The ETS is a key pillar of European climate policy and applies to the power generation sector as well as other large emitting sectors, as detailed in Chapter 2. It also reflects the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of wind power, which provided 28 per cent of the total electricity generated, with renewables at 33 per cent (SEAI, 2019b). Consequently, the carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland dropped from 896 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour (g CO 2 eq/ kWh) in 1990 to 375 g CO 2 eq/kWh in 2018, a decrease of almost 60 per cent (SEAI, 2019a). Electricity generation will need to reach zero fossil carbon emissions in the coming decades for Ireland to become climate neutral by 2050. Electricity generation and its distribution require careful management to ensure supply and avoid excessive costs. It is regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. 8 Combustion-based electricity generation is itself highly energy intensive, with about 50 per cent of the energy being lost in the generation process. Wind and hydropower generation do not suffer these transformation losses. This means that while wind represented just over 16 per cent of Ireland’s generated electrical energy in 2018, it amounted to 28 per cent of the total electrical energy used by consumers (Table 12.2). While Ireland has excellent renewable energy resources, with strong and relatively consistent winds off the Atlantic Ocean, there are considerable technological and management challenges in bringing renewable and distributed energy generation onto the grid. Addressing these challenges and availing of the opportunities provided by distributed generation are central to the decarbonisation of electricity generation. These opportunities include enabling the uptake of directly generated energy from wind and solar sources, along with the deployment of sophisticated energy storage and management systems. This is essential for the large-scale uptake of wind energy. The emergence of cheap solar power generation is a significant win-win situation for climate, air quality, energy security and energy efficiency. The national grid, which is managed by EirGrid, will need to be a proactive enabler of this transition. Table 12.2  Breakdown of energy by electricity generation and use in 2018 (Source: SEAI) ELECTRICITY GENERATION INPUT GENERATED LOSSES Total energy 191,086GJ (53,079 MWh) 91,565GJ (25,435 MWh) 52% Hydropower 1.3% 2.2% Biogas 6.7% 3.8% Wind 16.3% 28.0% Fossil gas 53.9% 51.8% Coal 10.7% 7.0% Peat 10.3% 6.8% Oil 0.8% 0.5% Note: GJ is gigajoule. 8 https://www.cru.ie/ 313