Ireland Wind Energy: Renewables Being Pushed In The Republic And Northern Ireland

From EarthTechling's Pete Danko:

We all knew Scotland was on a tear when it came to renewable energy development (leading some to wonder if the country was moving ahead too ambitiously). But a recent report on the feasibility of a Scottish-Irish offshore grid connection brought to light the significant efforts being made in Ireland and Northern Ireland to move beyond fossil fuels.

Now a big update from the state-owned grid operator EirGrid in Dublin is giving a full picture of how Ireland -- the Republic and the six counties that comprise Northern Ireland -- are pursuing their renewable goals even as economic uncertainty reigns. You can pretty much sum up their efforts in one word: wind.

As Pat Rabbitte, Ireland's minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, noted in a statement [PDF], Ireland and Northern Ireland now have a total of 2,262 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity capacity. And according to the EirGrid report [PDF], 1,971 of that -- 87 percent -- is from wind. This commitment to wind is even more remarkable when you consider that there were moments in the past year when wind’s penetration -- its percentage contribution to the grid -- approached and even topped 50 percent, and days when wind met 30 percent or more of the island's total electricity demand (see graph below).

That said, the wind doesn't always blow so strongly, and during the year ended in September 2011, wind provided a much smaller portion of EirGrid's energy needs -- 10 percent. That's why, in its bid to meet a goal of 40 percent renewables on the grid by 2020, the island is aiming to reach a total of 5,100 MW of installed wind capacity, with most of that coming offshore.

With extensive grid upgrades, including smart-grid advances, that vast wind capacity, officials believe, would allow wind to meet 37 percent of electricity demand, with hydro and marine power contributing enough to bring the countries to their 40 percent target.

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Comments

[ewalter899]

07:36 PM on 01/03/2012

How come all these green people don't care that these things kill birds?

[Lab Bunny]

09:01 PM on 01/03/2012

Because studies show that bird mortality from wind turbine collisions is a tiny fraction of bird mortality from other causes such as cats and crashing into windows.

Here's a quick summary of anthropogenic bird mortality causes research from 2005: http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr191/Asilomar/pdfs/1029-1042.pdf

[Lab Bunny]

07:21 PM on 01/03/2012

I live in Ireland. We had a big debate about wind power with many vocal opponents urging fossil fuel or nuclear alternatives. The conclusion of this debate is converging that wind power is particularly suited to Ireland due to our windy climate and low population density. We are matching our wind power against modern gas power stations that can rapidly power up and down.

That said, wind power leads to diminishing returns as the proportion installed increases beyond a certain point (15-25%) Beyond that point we need expensive backups for still days. The solution has been to build subsea electricity interconnections to the UK and Europe. In this way we will load balance with much larger grids.

One big advantage of wind power for us is that it provides a hedge against future rises in fossil fuel prices. 40% of our power costs are hedged for 2020.

Wind gets subsidies but then so does nuclear and the US has spent trillions on protecting its fossil fuel supply chain in the middle east. Analysts last year found that Ireland's subsidies to wind power were balanced by equal drops in price due to lower wholesale electricity prices. http://www.eirgrid.com/media/ImpactofWind.pdf

[PatsyT]

02:49 PM on 01/03/2012

Wind Power Works
http://cleantechnica.com/world-wind-power/
Solar Power Works
http://cleantechnica.com/2011/11/10/about-solar-energy-why-solar-energy/

[SueEll]

02:08 PM on 01/03/2012

Digging deep into the earth, cutting off mountain tops, fouling the ocean, the air, the soil when all one needs to do to find a readily available source of energy is step outside and look up. There is nothing between us and the sun.

There are places in this country where the wind is constantly blowing. That's another clean source.

[PatsyT]

04:24 PM on 01/03/2012

Thanks SueEll, you got it.

Yes! Fanned and Faved
http://www.rmi.org/ReinventingFireinfographic
http://www.rmi.org/ReinventFireChangeEnergyUseForever

[Dragontech]

07:31 PM on 01/03/2012

Fanned and faved here too,. Cannot understand why some seem to think that the only way to produce energy, or energy JOBS is the old, obsolete dirty methods.

[Robert Fanney]

02:07 PM on 01/03/2012

We would be competing with Ireland and China in leading this key new industry if Republicans and conservatives weren't so hell-bent on killing it in favor of dirty, depleting, and dangerous coal, oil, and gas.

[markkocaldo]

01:11 PM on 01/03/2012

It has actually been shown in study that Ireland's investment in wind energy is so dependent on inefficient gas/coal backup that no GHG or air pollution reduction is achieved despite $billions in wasted taxpayer money on wind investments.

http://www.clepair.net/IerlandUdo.html

[Kenz300]

10:54 AM on 01/03/2012

It is time to end the oil monopoly on transportation fuels. Bring on the electric, flex-fuel, hybrid, CNG, LNG and hydrogen fueled vehicles. The oil and coal companies have the world backed into an energy corner. Let's move to cleaner, safer, renewable energy.

[Anne Mccormick]

04:25 PM on 01/02/2012

wind energy in Ireland may work. but what will they use for their cars. better yet, what will they use for the fuel for their airlines: air lingus and ryanair.

[jobgood]

05:14 PM on 01/02/2012

hydrogen (made with wind energy)?

[jobgood]

02:46 PM on 01/03/2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/wind-power-storage-technology_n_1118993.html

[Kenz300]

10:55 AM on 01/03/2012

Biofuels made from algae, cellulose and waste can provide fuel for airlines, autos, ships, and trains.

[Kenz300]

11:31 AM on 01/02/2012

Green energy is growing every year. The cost of oil coal and nuclear keep rising while the cost of wind and solar are dropping.

Renewable energy investment is surpassing fossil fuels in new power plants.

Electricit­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­y from sun power, wind energy, wave energy and biomass had an investment of $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, coal and oil, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The Investment in renewable power will grow even more this year.

[markkocaldo]

01:05 PM on 01/03/2012

",,,sun power, wind energy, wave energy and biomass had an investment of $187 billion last year,,'

Yup but only the filthy deadly air polluting firewood burners aka biomass produced any net net energy.

Close to 100% of the wind/solar/gas backup scam in use today comes from the gas backup.

[aicequeen36]

03:01 AM on 01/02/2012

stupid question maybe..but..can they face the turbines towards each other and the turbines would produce the "wind"for each other and not be reliant on windy days?

[Dragontech]

07:46 PM on 01/03/2012

No, that creates a net energy loss as it would take more energy to turn the turbine to create the wind than that wind would create in the opposing turbine. Turbines of any nature have a limit to efficiency, mathematically, which ends somewhere near 50%. The energy loss i creating the wind then has to be factored in, making it likely that each kilowatt of energy produced would probably take 5-7 kilowatts input to make.

[aicequeen36]

07:52 PM on 01/03/2012

oh..thx for explaining..;)

[trueblueredstater]

10:00 PM on 01/01/2012

The price of wind and solar power keeps coming down - the supply is inexhaustible (unlike fossil fuels) and the technology is getting better, more powerful, and cheaper every year.

Three of my neighbors have solar chargers on their remote gates - not because these Okies are 'green' (one works in the 'awl bidness') but because the solar charger was *cheaper* than trenching and laying a power line.

When oil company workers are buying solar gadgets because they are cheaper than the traditional solution, you KNOW that the days of fossil fuel are numbered.

[markkocaldo]

01:18 PM on 01/03/2012

Actually the non renewables used in making wind/solar product over their short lifetime are not inexhaustible. Wind costs were slowly rising until the recent market collapse brought on by Chinese dumping of wind/solar product. With mass production techniques fully exploited and most solar costs now in framing, assembly, and installation and related materials solar costs will be rising as well.

Solar has always been useful in remote locations. Where have you been?

[trueblueredstater]

10:23 PM on 01/06/2012

These 'remote locations' are ten miles from downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the point was that the solar chargers were cheaper than digging a 200-foot trench to the house and laying the proper grade of cable.
And 'short lifetime'?? There are objects in space using solar PV that are still powered up after more than 20 years.

[Ian Gord]

07:06 PM on 01/01/2012

If this stuff were viable private industry would be all over it.

[serz4u]

09:40 PM on 01/01/2012

Wind is at grid parity now in many areas of the US, even with the costs of fossil fuels obscenely subsidized, and private industry IS all over it.

[markkocaldo]

01:20 PM on 01/03/2012

Wind is at grid parity only after massive subsidy.

[motoGpifupleez]

05:41 PM on 01/02/2012

Do you consider GE to be "private industry"?

[markkocaldo]

01:20 PM on 01/03/2012

How about corporate welfare bum?

[Ian Gord]

07:01 PM on 01/01/2012

Do the wind turbines in Ireland kill as many birds as they do in the U.S.?

[serz4u]

09:37 PM on 01/01/2012

Do you have any numbers/sources to back up this rhetorical question?

[jobgood]

05:25 PM on 01/02/2012

http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/12/dont-be-fooled-on-wind-power-and-birds/

[mhh310351]

05:46 PM on 01/01/2012

Wow! Talk about an opportunity!

Europe all ready has a Carbon Trading System.

Now imagine a series of off shore wind turbines with connecting structures being supplied with a little electricity to grow coral! There is a process called BIO-ROCK that has reported coral growths of 5cm per year. Coral is made up of mostly CaCO3 - coral is a CO2 sequestering machine!

The coral creates new habitat for marine species acting as nurseries improving fishing, improving oceanic acidity by sequestering CO2 allowing the sell of CO2 credits, providing electricity, and maybe tourism dollars for sport fisherman & divers.

I know many of you think of coral in warm water but check out this link!

http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/coldwater-coral-reefs-distribution

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/071204-AP-bali-electrified.html

Sorry for all the exclamation marks - but this is potentially very exciting!

[powder chowder]

05:14 PM on 01/01/2012

Awesome.