What is energy and what does the future hold?

By Catherine Sheridan, Chief Operating Officer with EIH2

Like the weather, energy is difficult to describe but we all have an opinion on it. Simply put, energy is the ability to do work. Energy can’t be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form into another – for example, the chemical energy in fuels is turned into thermal energy by burning. On a small scale, that thermal energy is heat in open fires or stoves in our homes. It’s also how we power our diesel cars and on a bigger scale, fly planes and power ships. That thermal energy can be turned into electricity using large engines similar to the ones in aeroplanes.

The latest SEAI “Energy in Ireland” report explains that we can group where we get our energy from into three bundles of roughly the same size. We get 45% of our energy from oil, which is all imported, 34% from natural gas (mostly imported) and the other 21% from everything else such as renewables, coal, peat, wastes and imported electricity.

About 40% of energy in Ireland is used for heating, another 40% for transport and the remaining 20% for electricity. That one always makes me pause. Only 20% for electricity. But when I think of my fossil fuel powered heating and industry, I begin to understand why. This is important to highlight because our progress on renewable electricity is sometimes thought to mean the energy transition is well progressed. While Ireland is doing well in that sector, we must address the other 80% of our energy sector as well.

It’s not energy that causes climate change but using fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are carbon based; when burned, carbon is released into the atmosphere and contributes massively to global warming. Unfortunately, we can’t just snap our fingers and stop using fossil fuels. That’s not greenwashing, it’s just true.

The energy system we have right now will take time to wind down. Energy is typically stored and transported as fossil fuels. We need to build out our electricity grid and find another way to back it up when the wind isn’t blowing and find a way to power things that can’t be plugged in. Vaclav Smil’s recent book “How the world really works” explains how fossil fuels are building blocks of the four pillars of the modern world, ammonia, plastics, cement and steel.

The World Energy Council considers energy systems through a triple lens. They must be sustainable for sure, but also need to provide security of supply and be equitable.

So how are we doing on security of supply? In October 2022, Eirgrid issued a warning that there could be regular outages over the next decade. On the natural gas side, as the Corrib gas field is emptied, we will be wholly reliant on the import of natural gas and oil, which accounts for 80% of our energy today. And that’s before we consider the ever changing geopolitical situation which is both caused and impacted by fossil fuel profits.

The cost of energy is crippling households and businesses at the moment and is becoming a topic of discussion both in government, on the radio and at every kitchen table

Our energy system is broken but thankfully there is much we can do. The best energy saving is energy that we don’t use and Ireland is taking steps to reduce energy usage through retrofitting and demand side planning. Electrifying home heating and personal travel as well as increasing the amount of renewable electricity generated from wind and solar is key and offshore wind is converted into electricity which we can use straight away or export via interconnectors. Being a windy island on the edge of Europe used to be a downside for Ireland, but no longer. We have eight times more energy in the form of wind than we need for our own needs.

By using our wind powered electricity we can separate hydrogen (H2) from oxygen (O2) in water (H2O). Ireland can have a green independent energy future and can support Europe transition to Net Zero as countreis like Germany need to importing 80% of the hydrogen demand.

With energy companies like Green Rebel, Simply Blue and Orsted, Cork is well placed to become a key employer in the energy transition; more than that with the collaboration and can do attitude, we can become a template for positive change.