IRELAND — DS3 AND GRID STORAGE
Opportunities on the Emerald Isle Although its grid is smaller than those of other EU markets, the island of Ireland has managed to set a course for its growing energy storage market, but there are challenges that have to be navigated. Ireland has plenty of wind resources to tap, and onshore wind power has now become one of the island’s cheapest forms of electricity. Developers are also setting their sights on offshore wind capacity, which points to wind making up a greater and greater share of the power mix. This will improve the island’s energy security, reducing reliance on fossil fu-
72 • Batteries International • Winter 2020/21
els and lowering carbon emissions, but it will mean that grids will need more flexibility and resilience because of the nature of non-synchronous penetration. In September 2020, industry association Energy Storage Ireland (ESI) published the results of a survey of its members, revealing a 2GW pipeline of 54 projects at various stages of development.
Almost 700MW of the projects are at an advanced stage and looking to come online in the next 12 to 18 months. The projects are part of a DS3 (Delivering a Secure Sustainable Electricity System) programme, which was ignited by a set of studies back in 2010 — the ‘All Island TSO Facilitation of Renewables’ studies, and aims to in-
www.batteriesinternational.com
