51 minute read
Trinity’s Brian Caulfield discusses the barriers to transport decarbonisation
Credit: Les Coleman.
Transport: Avoid, shift and improve
Achieving a targeted 51 per cent reduction in transport emissions by 2030 will require a complete reset of our behaviours, outlines Trinity College Dublin’s Brian Caulfield.
If Ireland is to meet its carbon reduction targets for 2030, how we move and how we use various modes of mobility will change irrevocably. Transportation accounts for approximately 20 per cent of all CO2 emissions in Ireland. By 2030, it is planned that we would reduce our emissions in this sector by 51 per cent. This is a very ambitious target and one that is not for the faint hearted, realising this reduction will require substantial investment and for us all to do our part.
To achieve this change, we must overcome a number of substantial barriers, including:
• outside of our urban areas the average distances traveled to work are large;
• the 2019 the CSO National Travel
Survey found that almost 75 per cent of all trips in Ireland are made by car and almost 30 per cent of these are less than 2km;
• outside of Dublin population density rates tend to be low making it more difficult to service these locations by public transport;
• the demand for transport is expected to increase as our population and workforce expand over the next decade, resulting in extra demand for transport services; and
• while it has increased in the past number of years our uptake in electric vehicles has been slow.
While some of the above are greater barriers than others and some, such as the short distances traveled, present themselves as opportunities, nevertheless the scale of the problem should not be underestimated. At a national level and an international level, the principles of avoid, shift and improve in relation to reducing emissions is being used to frame how we tackle this problem.
Avoid
Policies that examine ways to avoid and reduce trips generally tend to be centered on methods to better plan our urban areas, to reduce the need for
trips in the first place. Internationally, they tend to look at examples of transit orientated developments whereby, when high density and mixed-use developments are constructed, they have high quality public transport provided. These types of developments tend to have limited car parking and use both public transport and shared mobility options to provide transport services to residents.
This concept has gained a lot of traction in the past two to three years with many cities and areas looking at the concept of a 15-minute city. Under this concept, residents would have access to many amenities within 15 minutes of their home, resulting in shorter journeys and reducing emissions when non-car modes are used.
Travel demand management measures, such as working from home, also fall under the remit of avoid and reduce. The research conducted in Ireland and internationally show that there can be substantial emissions savings from working from home. However, some argue that the work trip can be replaced by several smaller trips, usually taken by car, and this then can erode any emissions savings. The creation of remote working hubs across the country may also provide emission savings and research conducted in Trinity has shown that they could offer a substantial emissions and travel time savings.
Shift
The next step is to examine how we shift transport trips onto more sustainable modes. Typically, this tends to be one of the hardest nuts to crack in transportation policy development and planning. The main issue here is to provide alternatives that are as close as possible to the private car in terms of flexibility, cost and convenience. This is a substantial challenge especially in a country like Ireland with low residential density. The improvement of public transport and the provision of new heavy and light rail services is very costly and can take time. The current projections for projects such as MetroLink in Dublin, is that it will not commence operation until early 2030s, years after the target date for a 51 per cent reduction in emissions.
It is aimed that the BusConnects project will be completed by the end of the decade, further demonstrating the need for more rapid improvements in public transport. In the interim, while these large transport projects come to fruition, changes to the bus network and also the promotion of active modes can provide some carbon reductions. Specifically, when we look at active modes (walking and cycling), one can see the amount of investment that has been earmarked for these modes and the amount of infrastructure that has been put in place over the past year. Active modes of transport will play a large role in reducing the 30 per cent of our trips that are under 2km.
Improve
The final stage in the three-pronged process of reducing emissions from transport is the improve stage. This stage is mainly focused upon improving the ways in which we move by using new technologies and new fuel types power our vehicles more sustainably. The majority of the attention at this stage is focused upon how we power our private vehicle fleet and our public transport modes.
In Ireland, we have very ambitious targets for an increase in electric vehicles and much of our carbon reduction strategies are based around a high penetration rate of these vehicles. There are many obstacles in the way of achieving this ambition, particularly related to when price parity between electric vehicles and traditional vehicles will be reached and to what extent the State will have to incentivise the uptake of these vehicles.
The charging infrastructure required and the flexibility of the power grid are also large projects which need finished to achieve our 2030 targets. However, the electrification of mobility is not the soul remit of private cars and this electrification has been happening in bicycles and scooters over the past two to three years. One could argue that the electric vehicle targets should also include bicycles and scooters and that incentives for these should also be included. The improve stage also examines how we fuel our public transport modes and extensive work has been conducted to date on this by the National Transport Authority trialing hydrogen, electric and hybrid buses in various locations across the country. This combined with the electrification of the heavy rail network should see substantial emissions reductions from these modes.
As the State ramps up investment in these modes of transport and, as mentioned earlier, these alternatives become, to some degree, as attractive as the private car, it will have been said to have provided all the ‘carrots’ required for people to either avoid, shift or improve.
Should the necessary reductions in emissions not be realised, then the argument would be clear for this ‘stick’ approach to be used. This would inevitably be in the form of either or both road user pricing and limitations on parking within our urban areas.
The task at hand to reduce our emissions in this field is substantial. It will require a complete reset of our behaviors around how and where we move, a change in urban forms with more space dedicated to lower carbon options and a substantial investment by both the State and its citizens.
Brian Caulfield is an Associate Professor, Centre for Transport Research, Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College Dublin.
Tapping into Ireland’s offshore wind potential calls for change
Mary Quaney, Group Chief Executive, Mainstream Renewable Power.
Mary Quaney, Mainstream Renewable Power’s Chief Executive, discusses the potential for Ireland to be a world leader in offshore wind energy generation.
When advocates speak of Ireland becoming a “European renewable energy superpower”, Mary Quaney knows what that actually means.
As Group Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Renewable Power, she is not inclined to indulge in hyperbole.
Still, she does acknowledge that this is a “very, very exciting time”.
Quaney joined Mainstream in 2009, and was the company’s Group Chief Financial Officer from 2017. She was appointed to the board in 2019 and was appointed as Chief Executive in August 2020.
During this first year in her new role, the company has signed a €1 billion deal with Aker Horizons. The Norwegian company, founded by Kjell Inge Røkke, one of Norway’s most successful businessmen, has taken a 75 per cent equity stake.
“With the Aker Group now as our controlling shareholder, we are part of a much larger organisation. Access to the capital markets provides a very strong point now for us to grow quite significantly over this next period of time, so it’s a very exciting phase for Mainstream.
“The development, construction and operation of renewable energy is a very capital-intensive type of business, particularly in the context of Mainstream’s substantial development pipeline.
“So, being part of the Aker group really provides the very strong environment to facilitate deployment of significant amounts of capital, plus the synergies within the Aker group are very important.”
Mainstream remain a separate company within the Aker Group, retaining its preexisting brand, identity and management team and Mainstream still retains 25 per cent of retail shareholders, the vast majority of whom are Irish individuals.
“We continue to be an Irish headquartered company, combined with a very strong, supportive and ambitious new owner,” the Chief Executive adds.
“Ireland, quite simply, has one of the best offshore renewable energy resources anywhere in the world. We have a sea area of approximately 900,000 km2 which at over 10 times the size of our landmass, is one of the largest seabed territories in Europe. We also have some of the highest wind resource you’ll find anywhere on the globe.
“The long-term potential is in the region of 75 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power to be realised on the west coast.”
Quaney also highlights the opportunities to develop and grow supply chains locally.
“We have the opportunity to develop an industry sector to rival the ‘tech’ or the ‘pharma’ industries that have been so successful in Ireland,” she says.
“The Government has clearly stated that offshore wind is absolutely essential to meeting the overall energy ambition of 70 per cent renewable energy electricity by 2030 and with its newly published Climate Bill, the Irish Government aims to reduce total carbon emissions by 51 per cent by 2030 compared to 2018 and commits Ireland to climate neutrality by 2050.
“So really, the potential is here to become a world leader in offshore wind energy generation.”
The Maritime Area Planning Bill, which Taoiseach Micheál Martin has hailed as “the biggest reform of marine governance in a century”, comes before the Oireachtas this term. However, Quaney identifies three policy areas which could prove to be obstacles in meeting the Government’s climate action plan targets.
Firstly, there is the Government’s timeline in establishing the new Marine Area Regulatory Authority (MARA),
Met Mast at Hornsea, UK developed by Mainstream, now the world’s largest offshore wind farm.
which is a key piece of the State’s new maritime planning legislation. As part of this, MARA will license large scale projects such as offshore wind farms and electricity interconnectors, planning approval for which will be handled by An Bord Pleanála.
“Right now, the foreshore department is responsible for survey applications up to the 12 nautical mile limit, but there isn't any mechanism for projects located beyond that,” she highlights.
“That is effectively prohibited until MARA is up and running. The Department has briefed that that will take 12 to 18 months at least to get MARA operational following the enactment of the legislation.”
Mainstream supports Wind Energy Ireland’s call for interim measures to be including in the new Bill which would empower the Minister for Environment to grant survey licences beyond the 12 nautical mile limit until such time as MARA is established.
How the proposed bill deals with the issues of design flexibility is also an area of concern for the wider industry, Quaney says.
“What we are recommending and what works very well in other jurisdictions is a flexible design approach.”
The Chief Executive refers to a system in Britain known as the “Rochdale envelope”, so named after two legal cases dealing with outline planning applications for a proposed business park in Rochdale. “It allows developers, at the submission stage, to build flexibility into concepts for the outline of the wind farm ultimately,” she explains.
“Again, in our experience, internationally, it's a very tried and trusted and solid approach that provides an appropriate level of flexibility without taking any further environmental risks.”
Without such a provision, the resulting planning framework would emerge “very rigid”, and result in a process where developers have to reapply for consent if any elements of the design have changed or there have been technological improvements which can result in significant delays. If Ireland is to meet its climate targets, time is not on our side, so an efficient framework is vital.
Earlier this year, the Irish Planning Institute welcomed the National Marine Planning Framework, but cautioned that it would place “significant resource demand” on “already over-stretched” planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála.
“Ireland’s authorities need to be able to facilitate a smooth, transparent and efficient planning system “without delays”, given the volume of applications coming through,” says Quaney, explaining that England and Wales represent the most “mature” offshore market, run through The Crown Estate.
Adding: “There is a very well established tried and tested planning system which has enabled an industry to be established in the UK, with a local supply chain, and significant creation of jobs.”
It is a model Ireland should look towards, she believes, with “industry and government working together from the outset to work through the potential blockages”.
According to the Chief Executive, Britain’s approach also resulted in reducing the cost of developing offshore wind.
“Now the UK offshore wind sector is the most advanced globally, and Mainstream has developed about 20 per cent of all of the offshore wind plant in construction and operations in the UK today,” she says.
Mainstream’s offshore wind “heritage” dates to the 2003 commissioning of Ireland’s first offshore wind farm on the Arklow Bank by its predecessor Airtricity.
“Since then, we have developed over five GW of offshore wind capacity and most of that is in UK waters,” says Quaney. “Today, we are developing offshore wind in Asia, we're developing south-east Asia's largest offshore wind farm in Vietnam, and we have a number of other offshore projects in Vietnam in development.
“Then we're working on offshore projects in other geographies in Asia Pacific, in the Americas, and across Europe. I believe that we're probably one of the most experienced renewables developers active here in our home market, and being an Irish company, we're very proud of this.”
The much bigger opportunity for Ireland is to export renewable energy to Europe. The ‘supergrid’ concept, pioneered by founder Eddie O’Connor and the technology under development by sister company SuperNode is “key to that”, according to Quaney.
“Ireland needs to tap into the resources it has, with an unrivalled geographical position we may have taken for granted until now,” she concludes.
Contact
Emmet Curley, Head of Communications
T: +353 (0)86 2411 690 E: emmet.curley@maisntreamrp.com W: www.mainstreamrp.com
magazine renewable energy
Renewable heat obligation
In August 2021, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) launched a consultation on the introduction of a renewable heat obligation. If introduced, the obligation will require that a proportion of the energy supplied to the Irish heat sector be from renewable sources.
Annually, a total of 38 per cent of Ireland’s final energy consumption emanates from heat energy, equating to 55,230 GWh. With oil (42 per cent), gas (41 per cent) and solid fuels such as coal (5 per cent) and peat (4 per cent) still the primary sources of heat generation, emissions from the heat sector totalled 12.6 MtCO2 in 2019.
Principally, heat energy is used across four sub-sectors: residential (46 per cent); industry (35 per cent); services (15 per cent); and agriculture and fisheries (4 per cent). While residential demand is the largest consumer of heat energy, usage is expected to decrease with improved energy efficiency.
Policy context
Currently, Ireland’s climate ambitions include:
• a Programme for Government 2020 commitment to an average 7 per cent per annum reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (from 2021 to 2030), with a 51 per cent reduction by 2030, and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050;
• a legally binding national climate objective of transitioning to a climate resilient, biodiversity-rich, environmentally sustainable and climate-neutral economy no later than 2050, as per the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021;
• a commitment to a 34.1 per cent share of renewable energy by 2030 via Ireland’s National Energy and
Climate Plan 2021-2030; and
• a reduction in European greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) by 55 per cent by 2030 through the
EU’s Fit for 55 package.
At the same time, Article 23 of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) provides that EU member states must seek to “to increase the share of
renewable energy in that (heating and cooling) sector by an indicative 1.3 percentage points as an annual average calculated for the periods 2021 to 2025 and 2026 to 2030, starting from the share of renewable energy in the heating and cooling sector in 2020, expressed in terms of national share of final energy consumption. That increase shall be limited to an indicative 1.1 percentage points for member states where waste heat and cold is not used”.
In July 2021, the European Commission proposed revising the Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) to align with the delivery of the European Green Deal’s increased climate ambition. Overall, this revision will increase the EU-wide target for the renewable energy sources in the energy from 32 per cent to 40 per cent.
Amendments to Article 23 of REDII will ensure that the existing indicative 1.1 per cent annual increase in heating and cooling becomes a binding baseline for member states, with specific indicative national top-ups.
Climate Action Plan 2019
In this context, contained within an updated annex to the Climate Action Plan 2019, Action 57b timetables a decision to be made on the introduction of a renewable heat obligation by the end of 2021.
As such, the DECC consultation on a renewable heat obligation is intended to inform the decision on whether and how an obligation is implemented “in the coming years”.
Though the structure of such an obligation has yet to be formally determined, all fuel suppliers, ranging from gas suppliers to local coal suppliers, would be subject to it. Likewise, as part of the consultation, any potential unintended consequences of a Renewable Heat Obligation on lower-income households will be assessed.
Existing renewable heat measures
Policy measures already implemented in support of the decarbonisation of the heat sector include:
• an update to building regulations to require that a share of the energy demand in new buildings originates from renewable sources; and
• the provision of incentives to support domestic heat users in upgrading their energy efficiency.
Speaking at Energy Ireland 2021 on 15 September, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD stated: “In terms of heating, we will continue the rollout of heat pumps to replace fossil fuel heating systems, but we will also add an expanded role for district heating in the forthcoming Climate Action Plan.
“SEAI is carrying out a detailed and comprehensive assessment of the decarbonisation of the heating sector in Ireland. This will be published over the coming months. As part of this study, it will indicate when we need to move from each of our fossil fuels for heat. This will inform future phasing out of fossil fuels and related appliances.”
Additional cost of renewable fuel (year 1) Obligation rate (%) 2030 Low heating consumption (9,000 kWh) Average heating consumption (11,000 kWh) High heating consumption (13,000 kWh)
Low cost (€0.08/kWh)
Medium Cost (€0.10/kWh)
High Cost (€0.12/kWh) 0.5
0.5
0.5 € 4.10 € 4.99 € 5.90
€ 5.11
€ 6.13 € 6.24
€ 7.49 € 7.38
€ 8.85
Source: DECC
Additional cost of renewable fuel Obligation rate (%) 2030 Low heating consumption (9,000 kWh) Average heating consumption (11,000 kWh) High heating consumption (13,000 kWh)
Low cost (€0.08/kWh)
Medium Cost (€0.10/kWh)
High Cost (€0.12/kWh) 3
3
3 € 24.52 € 29.96 € 35.41
€ 30.65
€ 36.77 € 37.46
€ 44.95 € 44.27
€ 53.12
Source: DECC
Rationale
However, a statement from the Department concedes that while “some progress is being made” in increasing renewable heat in Ireland, “more will need to be done”. This is an understatement given the failure to meet 12 per cent target for renewable heat (RES-H) by 2020.
Indeed, only 6.3 per cent of Ireland’s heat sector demand is delivered by renewable energy sources. As well as being the lowest proportion of any EU member state, this is also significantly below the EU average renewables share of 22.1 per cent in 2019.
Despite the aforementioned policy measures and the Climate Action Plan’s ambition to install 600,000 heat pumps in Irish homes by 2030, not enough progress has been made on increasing renewable heat in Ireland. At the same time, a renewable source of liquid and 4
The overall objective of a renewable heat obligation, Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
gaseous fuels for heat will be required to decarbonise high temperature heat where electricity may not prove to be a practical alternative.
The overall objective of a renewable heat obligation, therefore, is to reduce GHG emissions in the heat sector through increased use of renewable energy, contributing to the PfG’s target of a 51 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. Simultaneously, an additional benefit flagged by the Department is diversification of the energy supply and therefore increased security of supply.
It is intended that if implemented, a renewable heat obligation will incentivise the use of renewable heat while also spreading across all nonrenewable energy sources. As such, the cost impact would be spread across all consumers of non-renewables, preventing a financial burden falling on a single sub-sector.
Proposed structure
A renewable heat obligation is expected to mirror the Biofuels Obligation Scheme which operates in the transport sector, obligating fuel suppliers to ensure that a specific proportion of the fuel they supply for heat is renewable. It will apply to all suppliers of all fuels in the heat sector who supply more than 400 GWh of energy (as per the updated Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme).
While a renewable heat obligation would be a supply-side measure to reduce the carbon intensity of energy supplied, suppliers are already obligated by a demand-side measure, the Energy Efficiency Obligation Scheme, to reduce consumption.
A renewable heat obligation will not be applied to electricity supplied for heat, as it already includes significant levels of renewable energy.
The annual heat obligation rate will establish the proportion of nonrenewable energy supplied in the heat sector by each energy supplier (heat obligated party) that must emanate from renewable sources. Trading will be possible between suppliers providing an insufficient proportion of renewable energy and those suppliers with a surplus to the proportion required.
This heat obligation rate is anticipated to “introduced as a low level and increased over the years ahead” in order for a supply of renewable energy to be established. For instance, in one scenario, the initial rate could be set at 0.5 per cent or the equivalent of around 260 GWh of renewable energy in 2019. By the end of the decade, the rate would be increased to at least 3 per cent, equating to a minimum of 1.6 TWh of renewable heat by 2030.
Sustainability
The renewable heat obligation will adopt the sustainability criteria outlined by the Renewable Energy Directive and apply it to the renewable energy used. Potentially, this could incorporate biogas/biomethane, bioliquid, biomass and green hydrogen. The Department has outlined that while imported sustainable fuels will be accepted, “indigenously produced renewable energy will have less challenges meeting the sustainability criteria due to lower emissions associated with transportation”.
Cost
An exact cost of meeting the renewable heat obligation has yet to be determined with any certainty.
In producing its estimates, the Department assumes a typical residential heat consumption of between 11,000 kWh and 13,000 kWh and an additional cost of renewable fuel ranging from €0.03/kWh to €0.12/kWh.
Therefore an 0.5 per cent heat obligation rate would add between €4 and €9 to an annual bill in the first year, increasing to between €24 and €54 by 2030 as per an obligation of 3 per cent. For industrial and commercial consumers, variable energy usage between SMEs and large industrial users means the additional cost will initially range from <0.75 per cent to <1.5 per cent before increasing to between <3 per cent and 6 per cent in 2030.
It is anticipated that suppliers will source renewable fuels with the lowest associated cost to meet the obligations and spread additional cost across consumers equivalent to consumption.
Enforcement
Enforcement of a renewable heat obligation will be the responsibility of “an appropriate government body/agency”. A decision on this administrator will be made following the conclusion of the public consultation. Working alongside the Department, the administrator will “develop the operating terms and conditions and to ensure the obligation complies with all relevant legal requirements such as State Aid”.
At the end of each obligation period, the administrator will ensure that suppliers have delivered enough renewable fuel to meet the renewable heat obligation. It is suggested that during the initial phase, the compliance of each supplier will be assessed over a multiyear period, while latterly it will be assessed on an annual basis.
Powering the economy sustainably
As the island of Ireland seeks to address the challenges of climate change, decarbonisation of the energy sector and the facilitation of greater levels of renewables are key components of the strategies developed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in the Republic and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland. EPUK Investments (EP) is at the forefront of this ‘Just Transition’, with a plan to invest over £600 million in the development and operation of new flexible generation infrastructure that enables the island of Ireland to maximise electricity supplied from renewable energy. Here Ian Luney, Commercial Director, sets out how the company is already decarbonising the grid and investing significantly to develop new electricity generation assets which will play an integral part in meeting renewable and climate change targets, while also maintaining security of supply to support a post covid green economic recovery.
The reliable supply of safe, affordable, and clean energy is essential for a thriving economy. At EP, we play a key role in this through generating the electricity which powers homes, businesses, hospitals, schools, and transport across the island of Ireland.
EP is a subsidiary of the EPH Group, one of the largest power producers in Europe, employing over 25,000 people and operating an installed capacity of around 26.5GW; EPH is also a leader in carbon reduction, responsible for removing over 12 per cent of the EU’s carbon emissions off the system between 2014-2018. We plan to continue this story through the decarbonisation and re-development of our operations on the island of Ireland.
EP currently has electricity generating assets in place at three strategically located sites at Tynagh, Ballylumford and Kilroot, which supply over 1,800MW to the grid. We are therefore a major, strategic part of the Irish energy market. To continue our efforts towards decarbonisation, our plans go beyond decommissioning as we seek to develop new infrastructure to provide sources of
zero or low carbon emission dispatchable generation to further facilitate the progress to zero emissions.
Over the past number of years, EP has demonstrated a strong track record in the development, construction, and operation of power generation projects across the UK and Ireland. Recent examples have included the repowering of Lynemouth Power Station, which was converted from coal to biomass following a £300 million investment and is now the largest biomass-only facility in the UK, and a £53 million investment in South Humber Bank Power Station to improve the efficiency of the station, reduce its carbon emissions and extend its life.
In 2019, EP entered the Irish energy market, in June acquiring the Kilroot and Ballylumford power stations in Northern Ireland, and in October of the same year, acquiring the majority shareholding in the Tynagh Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power plant near Galway. From this point, EP has focused on the optimisation and redevelopment of these strategic sites, formally committing to take coal off the system in 2023 and developing plans for new energy investment opportunities.
Kilroot Energy Park
EP’s proposed Kilroot Energy Park represents the largest single investment in electricity generation in Northern Ireland, with a range of renewable energy technologies and electricity generation solutions proposed. These include plans for new flexible dispatchable generation, battery storage, solar, EV charging, a multi-fuel CHP facility, a hydrogen facility, and a data centre.
The EP vision has the potential to generate at least 600MW of lower carbon and renewable energy, which is enough to power over 500,000 homes.
The investment in the site would also create hundreds of jobs and mark an historic milestone in the decarbonisation of electricity generation in Northern Ireland.
The transition from coal to clean, flexible gas
The first phase of the plan for the Kilroot site is the replacement of the existing coal fired generation plant with flexible, lower carbon gas fired open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) technology.
For many years, the coal fired generating plant at Kilroot has provided a strategic and important source of electricity for homes and businesses. The transition from coal to clean, flexible gas will ensure that the site continues to provide that essential security of electricity supply for Northern Ireland.
Importantly, the flexible nature of the OCGT technology enables greater utilisation of renewable energy generation on the grid and reduce curtailment. This new clean gas generation at Kilroot will be highly responsive and efficient, meaning that more wind generation and other intermittent renewables can be used on the grid with greater ease and more often than is currently possible.
The requirement for this type of generation has been brought into sharp focus over recent months with increasing concerns around security of electricity supply. If we are to effectively manage the energy transition and meet climate change targets without jeopardising security of supply, new flexible dispatchable gas generation will play a critical role, and EP’s investment will be the first to deliver this on the island of Ireland.
“The EP vision has the potential to generate at least 600MW of lower carbon and renewable energy, which is enough to power over 500,000 homes. The investment in the site would also create hundreds of jobs and mark an historic milestone in the decarbonisation of electricity generation in Northern Ireland.”
The emergence of hydrogen
Hydrogen has the potential to play a pivotal role in the future because it can be used to create, store, and transport energy from wind, solar and other renewable sources to power and heat homes, businesses, vehicles and more.
EP is proposing to build a hydrogen facility at one of our sites, which will produce hydrogen gas from water through the process of electrolysis. The hydrogen produced by the electrolysers can then be compressed and used on site or transported for use by other consumers. There are various uses for hydrogen including electricity generation, hydrogen vehicles, injection into the gas grid or for various other industrial applications. We are committed to playing our part in the development of the emerging hydrogen sector which would allow Ireland and Northern Ireland to maximise the benefits of our high levels of renewable generation.
Data centre development
EP has recently announced the commissioning of expert research into the development of a major data centre on the site of the Kilroot Power Station by TechRE, an experienced specialist data centre consultancy.
The development of a data centre at Kilroot will support jobs, drive innovation, and bring investment to the area.
It is well known that data centres need to be close to sources of electricity generation, so the Kilroot site (with onsite generation and grid access for potential off-shore renewable technologies) is perfectly suited for this use and EP is committed to further explore the scalability of new technologies at each of our sites and diversify our investment portfolio to support the local economy.
Investing in a sustainable future
EP has an exciting pipeline of projects planned for the coming years with a willingness to invest and track record of delivery. We are looking forward to continuing to develop our sites in across the island of Ireland to realise our vision for powering a sustainable future.
For more information:
T: +44 (0) 28 9335 6206 E: Ian.luney@epuki.co.uk W: www.epuki.co.uk; www.kilrootenergypark.com
Power to green hydrogen: Green Hysland
Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca.
Enagás’s María Jaén discusses the deployment of green hydrogen to decarbonise an island economy.
Jaén is the general coordinator of the project Green Hsyland and she works in the Innovation and Renewable Gases Department at Enagás.
Enagás is the main gas TSO in Spain and the technical manager of the Spanish gas system, with a presence in eight countries across the world.
As part of its commitment to energy transition and decarbonisation, three years ago Enagás created the Innovation and Renewable Gases Division. In particular, the organisation recognised the potential of biomethane and green hydrogen, produced from renewable sources and usable across multiple applications.
“Making use of existing gas infrastructure is paramount for an affordable transition,” says Jaén.
As a focus of this commitment, Enagás founded Enagás Renovable in 2019, which will promote development projects associated with green hydrogen and biomethane. The company is leading the Western Route of the Hydrogen IPCEI Green Crane initiative, a programme to create southto-north green hydrogen routes across Europe.
“The initiative aims to connect competitive green hydrogen with demand centres, paving the way for future EU cross-border and import routes. This will boost local hydrogen demand in regional hubs and help decarbonise those gas end-use sectors,” explains Jaén.
In the context of the IPCEI initiative, Enagás Renovable is developing more than 30 hydrogen projects, the majority of which are in Spain.
Mallorca
Among these projects is the Hub Baleares: Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca initiative, which will see the production of green hydrogen for multiple applications, including injection into the natural gas grid.
“The Green Hysland project is the production of green hydrogen from photovoltaic solar energy, for various applications and injection into the gas network,” states Jaén.
Outlining its origins, Jaén explains that the project began with the announcement that a major industry player on the island of Mallorca was to close its cement plant. This initiative is part of an agreement between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and the Balearic Government with Enagás, Acciona, CEMEX and Redexis to reindustrialise Lloseta (Mallorca).
The project includes the development of a green hydrogen production plant from renewable photovoltaic energy. The green hydrogen generated will have multiple applications on the island, including the fuel supply to a fleet of fuel cell buses and fuel cell vehicles, the
generation of heat and power for commercial and public buildings, the supply of auxiliary power for ferries and port operations and the creation of a hydrogen refuelling station (HRS).
The project also includes green hydrogen injection into the island’s gas pipeline network, through a Guarantee of Origin System, to decarbonise the gas supply.
In May 2019, the Balearic Government approved the declaration of the Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca project as a strategic industrial project.
Outlining why Mallorca is a prime location for the project, Jaén highlights three main reasons:
1. Mallorca only has a permanent population of one million people; however, the island receives about 16 million tourists per year, mostly in summer. Jaén says that the island provided the perfect platform to demonstrate that hydrogen can play a key role in the energy system.
2. Mallorca, with an electricity mix largely based on fossil fuels, has a strong commitment to be zero emissions by 2040.
3. Mallorca already has an island-wide natural gas grid in place, meaning the injection of hydrogen into the existing grid would be easier, making it a perfect location to develop hydrogen ecosystems.
The Green Hysland project receives funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 joint undertaking, which receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe, and Hydrogen Europe Research.
A concept of the project points to the multiple application of green hydrogen from PV parks in Lloseta and Petra including a hydrogen refuelling station at the EMT bus depot in Palma; a commercial fuel cell-based CHP system in a hotel in Palma; a fuel cell and hydrogen (FCH) primary power system for a ferry terminal in the port of Parma; injection of hydrogen into the local gas distribution grid in Cas Tresorer; and a fuel cell-based CHP system within a municipal building in Lloseta.
Jaén explains that the project began in 2021 and is funded for completion in 2025 with an estimated total investment of €50 million.
From the outset the Lloseta Green Hydrogen plant will generate 330 tonnes of hydrogen per year, but Jaén explains the ambition is to see this scaled up to 1,000 tonnes per year and to extend the eco-system into further uses throughout the island.
Jaén outlines a number of benefits associated to the project, including:
• mitigating a carbon footprint of more than 21,000 tonnes annually when the project produces 1,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year;
• a new direct and indirect employment ecosystem associated with hydrogen; • the development of a sustainable large-scale island-based hydrogen hub in Mallorca;
• the development of a long-term roadmap to lay the path for a local and regional based economy towards 2050; and
• scalability and replicability.
On the topic of replicability, Jaén explains that the development of replication experiences and business models are foreseen in five other EU islands, including Oileáin Árann and Valentia in Ireland, Madeira in Portugal, Tenerife in Spain, Ameland in Netherlands and Greek Islands, as well as on the island of Chiloé in Chile and in Morocco. The Green Hysland demonstrations will also provide Europe with a blueprint for decarbonisation of island economies, and an operational example of the contribution of hydrogen towards the energy transition and the 2050 net zero targets.
“This project will deliver a roadmap towards 2050 that compiles a long-term vision for the development of a widespread hydrogen economy in Mallorca and the Balearic region, in line with the environmental objectives set for 2050,” she says.
Jaén also highlighted: “Hydrogen will help to increase the penetration of renewable energy in the Balearic energy system, demonstrating sector coupling and sectorial integration, and moving towards full decarbonisation of the economy”.
H2 ecosystem concept. renewable energy magazine
Calor Ireland, the leading supplier of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and BioLPG in Ireland has committed to be a net zero carbon energy supplier by 2037, over a decade ahead of the Government target for Ireland’s energy supply.
Calor, which has been supplying energy in Ireland for over 80 years, became the first supplier on the island of Ireland to offer customers certified renewable LPG, BioLPG, for homes and businesses in 2018. In doing so, Calor began an important journey to carbon neutral energy supply by 2037.
Speaking on its commitment to a sustainable future for all, Calor CEO, Duncan Osborne explains how Calor is looking to continually evolve, innovate and expand its renewable product offerings.
“At Calor, we aren’t just on a mission, we are leading one. This is only the beginning”, states Osborne. “Calor is renewing its sustainability ambition; so by 2025, 25 per cent of our sales will be renewable. That means that one quarter of our sales will be delivering up to 90 per cent* carbon savings.”
Calor BioLPG, a certified renewable gas, has offered customers a low carbon option since 2018. The renewable gas, BioLPG, has already proven a hit with homeowners and businesses that are looking to shift to a cleaner option. At the launch of BioLPG, Calor set a very ambitious target by aiming for 10 per cent of all its gas sold in Ireland to be renewable by the end of 2021. Calor are set to achieve this target, a fantastic achievement for this renewable gas in the three years since launch.
“Building on the success of BioLPG, our 100 per cent renewable gas in liquid form, which is helping larger energy users in rural Ireland reduce their carbon emissions, Calor will continue to look at other technologies and partnerships to cement our future in renewable products. This approach will enable Calor to achieve its goal of being 100 per cent renewable by 2037,” states Osborne.
“That is significantly ahead of EU and Irish targets. We want to help lead this transition. To support the companies and homeowners who want to make a difference but aren’t sure how to. We know our customers are engaged by sustainability issues, our job is to help lead them to a cleaner energy supply.
“The coming months will also see increased focus on sustainability and renewable energy. With the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 on the horizon, we know that domestic and business customers will increasingly be looking for cleaner energy options in 2021 and 2022.”
For more information on Calor BioLPG, visit calorgas.ie/biolpg
*The CO2 savings are calculated for 100 per cent blend. The level of CO2 savings may vary per production batch as it can be impacted by the feedstock used for production.
Credit: Aparajita Banerjee
Renewable energy acceptance
University College Dublin’s Geertje Schuitema discusses the importance of a bottom-up approach to renewable energy development in securing community acceptance.
Discussing current levels of community acceptance to renewable energy development in Ireland, Schuitema points to a mindset shift which appears to be moving away from an automatic perception of community acceptance being linked to objection, to one of greater support.
On the definition of acceptance, she says: “The reality is that social acceptance of energy is not a fixed measurement and in fact, is dynamic. Attempts to gauge social acceptance of renewable energy development often fail to recognise that not only can overall attitudes change but attitudes to certain aspects, components or technology can also change.”
Instead, Schuitema believes it more efficient to not gauge the acceptance levels of renewable energy development but instead to analyse under which conditions are people more willing to accept certain types of renewable energy development and the process that underpins it.
Such analysis was the aim of Schuitema and her research team in a recent project conducted in the Midlands, a key area of focus in the current energy transition. In 2018, Bord na Móna announced its decision to close 17 active bogs by 2020 and the remaining 45 within seven years. In 2018, the Midlands Regional Transition Team (MRTT), established in response to the acceleration of Bord na Móna’s decarbonisation programme, estimated the loss of 2,000 direct jobs and a further 2,000 indirect jobs.
Schuitema’s research project focused on Lanesborough, County Longford an area where peat production ended this year and for which An Bord Pleanála consented planning for Derryadd Wind Farm in June 2020, including the development of 24 wind turbines.
Setting the context for the research, the academic points out the potential broader social implications for the local community in relation to the closures, not least on workers, their families, their households, and the wider community.
As well as a focus on the perception by workers of the transition process, the prepandemic study also looked at how the wider community viewed the development of their region, as part of the transition, and how acceptable they found different proposals to develop country.
Schuitema explains that initial research in the area through a series of interviews painted a picture of little support for the planned development of wind turbines and wind energy in the area. Instead, they were met with proposals which included support for a wilderness park or for solar energy development.
“These bottom-up proposals, where the community themselves had thought about how to best develop up the region,
enabled us to develop a survey whereby we compared the existing proposals (described as a top-down proposal) to an alternative development mooted by the community (bottom-up proposal).”
The survey was an evaluation of two potential future developments. The bottom-up proposal was for a MidShannon wilderness park with solar panels compared to the Derryadd wind farm proposal. Given the remoteness of the area, a paper-and-pencil survey was conducted in the Lanesborough community in February 2020. A total of 181 people took part in the survey which had a 31.9 per cent response rate.
Explaining the survey, the academic says: “We wanted to assess which of the developments were more acceptable to the local community, but we also wanted to understand the reason that there might have been a difference in acceptance levels, recognising that bottom-up developments often may not fit with the national plan or be realistic, for various reasons. It was important to understand the underlying motivations.”
Understandably, acceptance levels for the bottom-up proposal were above that of the top-down development. Schuitema acknowledges that such a finding does not factor in feasibility or linkage with national ambitions, however, the study also highlighted that one of the main reasons for greater acceptance of the bottom-up process was an element of control.
Schuitema says: “The findings are an illustration that people very much like to feel heard and to feel like they have control over the decisions that are taken within their community. Keep in mind that this is a community that already has fears over the closure of peat power plants and so they already have experience of decisions being made on their behalf. In relation to development, there is evidence that communities want influence.”
A further aspect explored by the team was in relation to psychological ownership, which refers to a collective feeling that a development belongs to a community. Psychological ownership does not have to include physical ownership but is more about ownership of the concept.
Again, a bottom-up approach, when compared to a top-down approach, provoked a stronger feeling of psychological ownership over a project.
“The finding that greater levels of ownership are provided by a bottom-up approach is important when you consider the first RESS auction’s inclusion of seven community projects and ambitions to increase this further in later auctions. Public buy-in to the energy transition is a critical ambition of Ireland’s decarbonisation agenda and increased acceptance through bottom-up approaches to renewable energy development should be given consideration,” Schuitema says.
Finally, the research sought to explore the two hypothetical projects, with their different approaches, fitted with the community. The question was asked within the four dimensions of economic, social, environmental, and cultural, and as the findings below show, in each dimension, the bottom-up project approach was assessed as more fitting.
Schuitema concludes: “The context of the study is important. We have an area where a just transition plan is in place but at the same time, it was clear that people in that area did not always feel that that plan matched with their own ideas of that it fitted them. “It showed that the way people were treated in terms of a just transition was a pre-condition for how acceptable they felt renewable energy developments were.”
Posing the question: Under which condition is renewable energy acceptable, Schuitema says that the research would signify the key elements are:
• allowing influence in the decisionmaking process and change;
• building a sense of collective ownership of project and alignment with community identity;
• use of fair and just procedures; and
• stimulating and building on community led approaches is a mean to achieve this.
5
4
3
2
1
5
3
1 bottom-up top-down
Place-technology fit
bottom-up top-down economic social environmental cultural
Geertje Schuitema’s research is currently under review in the British Journal of Social Psychology.
Ocean Winds enter Irish offshore market with a combined 2,300MW bottom-fixed projects
Moray East project located in the outer Moray Firth, Scotland.
Ocean Winds (OW) announced its entry to the Irish offshore wind market in March 2021 with proposals for the bottom-fixed Cailleach Offshore Windfarm in the Irish Sea.
“The Irish Government has acknowledged its geographic and climatic advantages with ambitious targets to achieve 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030, and is delivering public policy proposals to support this. We look forward to playing an important part as trusted partner in enabling Ireland to achieve its 2030 and wider Net Zero ambitions with this and future projects”.
Commenting, Andronikos Kafas, the New Offshore Wind Opportunities Manager of Ocean Winds says: “Our application for a Foreshore Licence marks our entry to a new market while the new competitive regulatory regime is being established. We look forward to presenting attractive, high-quality, highly competitive proposals, and creating new opportunities for local enterprises at the cutting edge of renewable technology.
“Our proposals will be available for inspection at public information events which will be advertised in the next few months, subject to the evolving Covid-19 situation”.
OW will further extend its ambitions to other potential sites in Ireland, employing its extensive experience to deliver high-standard projects and in working with local suppliers where possible, promoting local market and supply chain growth.
The Cailleach project is a 317km2 site, 13km from shore at Braehead in County Wicklow, and is expected to deliver up to 1,600MW, followed by a second project in May, Celtic Horizon, a 141.45km2 site, c.13.5km from mainland Wexford and Waterford counties, of which both is set to deliver low-cost, low-carbon energy renewable energy to Ireland by 2030.
This will further expand the geographically diverse OW portfolio, which includes 1,500MW offshore wind generation under construction and 4,000MW in development across Europe, the USA and Asia.
Commenting, OW CEO Spyridron Martinis says: “OW has a strong international portfolio and an excellent track-record of bringing projects from concept to construction. Ireland has excellent renewable resources, and our background, expertise, strength and experience will allow the Irish economy to make best use of those resources.”
Adding to this, Dan Finch, UK and Ireland Country Manager of Ocean Winds says: “With more than a decade’s experience, OW brings a history of project deliverability and cost reduction. This includes bringing the world-leading Moray East Offshore Windfarm in Scotland from concept to construction. We have a track record of using our strength as global leaders in the renewables sector to create opportunities for local companies who want to expand and diversify into the emerging offshore wind sector. Ocean Winds UK Ltd 144 Morrison St, Edinburgh OW UK press office +44 7584 608842 W: www.oceanwinds.com
Grid-scale battery storage development
Over 2.5GW of grid-scale battery storage is in development in Ireland, with six projects currently operational in the country, four of which were added in 2021.
The operational use of the already-installed capacity of grid-scale battery storage was displayed in May 2021, when the frequency of Ireland’s electricity grid dropped below normal operating range. Two of the country’s six large-scale battery storage projects were called upon to help and had injected power into the network within 180 milliseconds, stabilising the network.
The 11MW system at Kilathmoy, the Republic’s first grid-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) project, and the 26MW Kelwin-2 system, both built by Norwegian power company Statkraft, responded to the event, which was the longest under-frequency event in recent years. The electricity grid went out of bounds of 49.9Hz – 50.1Hz for more than 14 minutes.
Battery storage can offer a source of support to the electricity grid, enabling the addition of more wind and solar power over time. The Irish energy system today is using gas or coal power plants for energy purposes, rather than as a means of providing support services to the grid. This means that wind power plants are then prevented from providing electricity to the grid to make way for those thermal resources. Enabling emissions-free methods such as battery storage for the provision of these services instead would facilitate the use of renewable energy in several different ways.
Despite the fact that energy storage is regarded as relatively new in Ireland, the 2020 goal of 40 per cent renewable electricity and energy storage project developers have been successful in winning contracts in EirGrid’s DS3 market. The DS3 has procured 14 different network ancillary services under a fixed tariff regime, although it is due to expire in three years. However, demand for grid service assets such as battery storage is likely to multiply, necessitating the provision of a DS3 type scheme from 2024 onwards.
A pipeline of over 2.5GW of grid-scale battery projects has now emerged in Ireland, with capacity projections increasing by 25 per cent in recent years. Over 75 per cent of this pipeline is made up of standalone projects, but increased interest in the possibility of colocation with solar and wind projects has been reported since 2018, although these are smaller in capacity. The largest part of the pipeline in Ireland is made up of projects larger than 20MW, the majority of them standalone. The DS3 scheme has so far favoured larger projects, with two 30MW projects and one 50MW securing DS3 Volume Capped Contracts in 2019. By the end of 2021, there is projected to be 350MW operational on the market.
A further group of projects, totalling circa 250MW have both planning permission and grid connection contracts, is ready to progress, with the potential for their construction in either 2021 or 2022. The largest category of projects are those with planning consented, totalling over 1.4GW in operational capacity. Planning for battery storage projects is a typically shorter process than the equivalent for wind and solar projects, with the next step for those with planning consent an application to the ESB or EirGrid for grid connection.
The ESB states that it “aims to develop a pipeline of projects to deliver large scale batteries as well as additional flexible enabling technologies” and has so far announced the development of its first major battery projects at existing sites in Inchicore, Dublin and Aghada, Cork. These projects will deliver 60 MWh at Inchicore and 38 MWh at Aghada Generating Station, with the ESB also planning to develop further battery storage projects in South Wall and Poolbeg, both in Dublin.
magazine renewable energy New Climate Action Plan key to EV uptake
In Ireland, 20 per cent of new car sales will be EVs by 2023, but the ambition to have one million EVs on roads by the end of the decade may be reliant on postpandemic purchasing behaviours.
The Climate Action Plan’s target of almost one million EVs on Irish roads by 2030 will require a significant uplift in new car purchases, which figures show have been hit by the pandemic.
The number of electric vehicles sold in Ireland doubled in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period the previous year, but the number of overall new vehicles purchased remains over 20 per cent lower than pre-Covid levels.
Despite the significant uptick in new EVs, meaning a market share reduction for new diesel and petrol vehicles, a reduction in overall sales of new vehicles, largely attributed to the pandemic, means that EV penetration will need to significantly increase if Ireland is to reach the Government’s one million target by the end of the decade.
Statistics from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry for the first half of 2021 show that while the majority of new cars sold still tend to be diesel (36 per cent) and petrol (32 per cent), 8,498 EVs sold to the end of June 2021 represents a 178 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2020.
Of these 4,333 were EVs and 4,165 were plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs).
New car sales in Ireland are estimated to be around 100,000 for 2021, rising to 125,000 for 2022. The pandemic has disrupted usual trends in new car sales and despite evident signs of recovery in the form of rising levels of purchasing from 2020, the number of new cars being sold still remains below the 150,000 average figure which most anticipated. If new car sales remain at these levels, then EVs would need to achieve almost 100 per cent penetration if the 2030 target is to be reached.
50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%
Fuel type market share 2020 vs 2021
Diesel Petrol Hybrid Electric Plugin hybrid electric
2020 2021
Source: SIMI Motorstats
It is possible that the Government’s target was consciously overly ambitious, providing the catalyst needed to kickstart the transition to more renewable private transport.
As well as an ambitious target and a commitment to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, a number of factors appear to have played a role in a greater number of consumers opting for EVs over traditional petrol or diesel fuelled new vehicles.
Environmental awareness has undoubtedly increased in recent years and the pandemic appears to have served as an opportunity for citizens to evaluate their behaviours and patterns. Additionally, the EV market has evolved with more manufacturers committing to EV production and eventual transition away from fossil-fuelled vehicles. This has led to greater choice for consumers but also faster development of technology, meaning vehicle driving range is increasing significantly.
Supplementing this easing of ‘range anxiety’ fears of EV drivers or prospective drivers is the extensive enhancement of Ireland’s public EV charging network. ESB operates and maintains over 1,350 public charge points across the island of Ireland through ESB ecars. The Government’s Climate Action Fund provided €10 million, matched by ESB, to expand and enhance the public charging network. This has enhanced not only the reliability of the network but also introduced some rapid chargers in towns and cities throughout Ireland.
The Government has also taken some steps in a bid to enhance the uptake of electric vehicles, however, many feel that the upcoming Climate Action Plan must provide more extensive incentivisation if Ireland is to reach its target. Recent government initiatives include regulation changes on new and existing buildings beyond dwellings to ensure recharging point installation, an
on-street public charge point scheme for local authorities, seeking to remove uptake barriers for those without home charging, benefit-in-kind tax relief for battery electric vehicles, grant support for the private purchase of EVs (in April 2021 government support was rerefocused to prioritise battery electric cars) and an Electric Vehicle Home Charger Grant.
With levels of new vehicle purchases below predicted levels, the Government has an opportunity to re-stimulate the market through the incentivisation of EV take up in the coming years.
