Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

322 Chapter 12: Environment and Energy The development of offshore renewable energy is hence a critical element of meeting climate action plan targets. CAP24 sets the objective of developing 5 GW of installed offshore renewable energy by 2030, with a further 2 GW of non-grid connected capacity to be in development by 2030, rising to 37 GW by 2050, with floating technology playing a role. The first Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction (ORESS-1) was held in June 2023. There were four successful applicants with an average support price of €86/MWh for approximately 20 years, with three projects planned for the east coast and one for the west coast of Ireland. The successful projects ranged in size from 0.45 GW to 1.3 GW, with a combined installed capacity of just over 3 GW. ORESS-2 is due to launch in 2024, aiming to address the shortfall in offshore wind capacity and delivering the targeted 5 GW of grid-connected offshore wind by 2030 and the further 2 GW of non-grid wind power for green hydrogen production. Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy (‘Powering Prosperity’) is focused on action in 2024 and 2025. It sets out how it will build on the 2030 targets and includes an interim target for 2040 of 20 GW capacity (DETE, 2024). It sets out that achieving the 2050 target of 37 GW of generation capacity would enable the production of green hydrogen and other fuels, the development of a hydrogen industry, the decarbonisation of industrial heat and the export of electricity, and ensure energy security through interconnection. The National Marine Planning Framework was adopted by the government in May 2021. This framework applies to Ireland’s maritime area, outlining objectives and marine planning policies for each marine activity. A key objective of the framework is to ensure that future developments in Ireland’s maritime area take place in a sustainable and strategic way, with consideration of environmental protection. The framework commits the government to using sub-national forward spatial planning through the establishment of designated maritime area plans (DMAPs). The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications has been designated as the competent authority to prepare DMAPs for the development of offshore renewable energy. Ireland’s first offshore renewable energy designated maritime area will be situated off the south coast (See Chapter 9). Solar energy CAP24 sets a solar capacity target of 5 GW in 2025 and 8 GW in 2030. Ireland’s solar photovoltaic electricity generation capacity reached close to 1 GW by the end of 2023, and solar energy accounted for 1.9% of gross electricity supply (SEAI, 2024b). Utility-scale grid-connected solar farms accounted for 64% of solar photovoltaic generation, with 36% coming from rooftop solar panels. Generation from solar farms increased 24- fold compared with the previous year, due to multiple sites being connected to the national grid in 2023. In parallel, electricity generation from rooftop solar panels increased by 74% in 2023. Energy storage Electricity storage systems aim to ensure security of supply in the electricity network by storing excess renewable generation and managing peak demand. The government’s Electricity Storage Policy Framework for Ireland 2024 sets out the role of electricity storage in meeting Ireland’s 2030 climate goals and addresses the deployment of storage up to 2040 (DECC, 2024b). The policy framework refers in the main to electricity storage systems developed to provide grid- supporting services. According to the policy framework, electricity storage systems with a capacity of over 1 GW are in place, and this capacity is expected to grow substantially in the coming years. Biomass Biomass accounted for 56% (i.e. 125 million tonnes of oil equivalent or 1453 TWh) of gross final renewable energy consumption in the EU in 2021 (this share was 63% in 2005) (EEA, 2023). This is much greater than in Ireland, as outlined in Figure 12.7, where biomass accounts for 33% of Ireland’s renewable energy. Biomass here includes bioenergy in the form of solid biomass, liquid biofuels and renewable wastes. Biomass used for energy generation is considered to be carbon neutral because plants and trees can regrow and sequester CO 2 from the atmosphere. However, the process of regrowth can take several decades, and the use of biomass in energy via combustion releases significant amounts of CO 2 and other pollutants into the atmosphere over the short term. The production, harvesting and transport of biomass for combustion can impact biodiversity, the condition of ecosystems and their capacity to sequester CO 2 from the atmosphere. Therefore, the use of biomass needs to be balanced with other ecosystem conservation needs.