Tag: renewable

Ørsted become first renewable energy sponsor of STEM showcase for young women

Leading global renewable energy company Ørsted, has become the first renewable energy company to sponsor the I Wish STEM showcase event which promotes careers in STEM to young women. The ninth annual I Wish STEM Showcase attracted 3,000 female students to the event in Dublin, with more than 15,000 attending virtually.

During the Girls in STEM 10 Fast Facts panel discussion, Olivia Roche, Project Developer at Ørsted spoke about her experience as a woman in STEM and the diversity of her role at Ørsted. She shared insights with those attending on the development of wind and solar farms in Ireland and globally, as well as the processes behind securing land, engaging with communities, and working with planners and environmental experts to assess projects’ possible impacts. Ørsted has to date invested over €500m in Irish renewables, managing 10% of the total wind assets across the island of Ireland which is equivalent to powering over 250,000 homes. Their Irish headquarters are based in Cork City, where it employs 90 people. 

Ireland ranks joint lowest of 13 countries on readiness to transition to renewable energy

A new independent report from The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) has ranked Ireland joint lowest of 13 European countries, on its readiness to make the transition to renewable energy.  

The Energy Transition Readiness Index 2022 sponsored by Irish-headquartered global power management company, Eaton, and global law firm Eversheds Sutherland, analyses the readiness of Ireland’s energy market to support the progression towards net zero, comparing it to other key European markets. The report ranks countries on a scale of 1-5. Higher ranking countries scoring ‘5’ and ‘4’ have effective energy transition policies which encourage technological innovation and market access; while lower ranking countries present barriers to investment through existing policies and rules which are complex and slow to evolve. 

While the same report published last year awarded Ireland a score of 4 – showing that the country had a proactive approach to decarbonising electricity – this score has since fallen to 3, meaning that Ireland has been ranked joint lowest of all countries surveyed. Among other causes, the report cites the country’s failure to allow low or zero-carbon projects to connect to the national grid as a factor which is delaying the transition to renewable energy, noting that the situation is “becoming increasingly critical”.  

The report has also shown that the percentage of newly registered electric vehicles (EVs) in Ireland remains significantly lower, compared to its European counterparts. EVs accounted for 5% of all newly registered vehicles in Ireland in 2021, compared to 12% in the UK, 20% in the Netherlands and 65% in Norway. On EV charging specifically, Ireland has received a score of 2 – together with Poland, this the lowest score of any surveyed country. While acknowledging that “few commercial barriers exist”, the report nonetheless notes that the rollout of EV charging infrastructure across Ireland has been “slow” and “limited”. The widespread adoption of EVs is viewed as an essential component of Ireland’s plan to decarbonise the transport sector. There are approximately 1,900 charging points installed across the country at present. The EU expects that 3 million public chargers will be needed to service its overall target of having 30 million EVs on the road by 2030 – per the same calculation, Ireland would therefore need to install 100,000 chargers within the next eight years. 

One positive outcome, is the progress that has been made on smart meter penetration. A smart meter is a device that accurately measures electricity usage – eliminating the need for estimated bills and allowing households and businesses to become energy efficient and save on costs by shifting their usage to times with lower unit rates. While just 4% of Irish households had smart meters installed in 2020, the Energy Transition Readiness Index 2022 shows this figure is now closer to 34% – a marked improvement. 

The main barriers in Ireland include: 

  • Reduced confidence in the timely development and deployment of policies to implement the transition.  
  • Weakened political and public consensus for the energy transition owing to affordability/current energy crisis 
  • Delays in the deployment of renewable generation owing to the current energy crisis  
  • Grid accessibility constraints  
  • Slow electric vehicle and charging infrastructure rollout  

 

Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, CEO of Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said: “As ETRI 2022 makes clear, despite impressive progress from a number of European countries, warm words from many Governments around Europe are not being matched by action when it comes to preparing for the energy transition. We now need to see significant action to remove the barriers facing our industry: proper long-term planning; prioritising and accelerating market reforms; and urgently addressing current investment barriers – all are desperately needed to help put us on the right path.” 

Ms Phil Kane, Country Manager at Eaton Ireland, said: “While there is broad support for advancing the energy transition, ETRI 2022 demonstrates that there is a clear disparity between ambition and action. As a global power management company, we know that businesses around the world are embracing the opportunities presented by net zero and accordingly, they are investing in renewable energy technologies. Yet, in Ireland, this palpable enthusiasm must now be matched with practical policy solutions – such as allowing zero-carbon, energy efficient assets to connect to our national grid, without delay. This is especially true in the case of EV charging where it is imperative that both industry and Government works collaboratively to create a robust regulatory framework, that will unlock much-needed investment and boost consumer confidence in green mobility”. 

Mr Mark Varian, Partner & Head of the Construction, Projects & PPP Group at Eversheds Sutherland LLP said: “In a challenging economic and political environment this report shines a light on where opportunities lie for the savvy business operator. As the leading global law firm, we are seeing more large industrials stepping into these markets and more funds wanting to invest in this area. There are also many interconnectors between countries in development and having that flexible demand will be crucial across all jurisdictions to achieve a Net Zero future. Ireland has made good progress in the clean energy sector. We now have an output target of 55% renewables for 2030 so major investment in variable and flexible low-carbon electricity resources are needed to achieve this energy transition target, provide energy security and save consumers money. But in order for investment to continue, we need a speedier role out and implementation of policies and regulatory frameworks that support access to market sectors such as offshore wind. There are huge opportunities here and implementing the recommendations set out in this Index could make a big difference.” 

Microsoft announces renewable energy contracts that contribute almost 30% of Ireland’s corporate power purchase agreement target by 2030

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD today joined Microsoft as it announced new renewable energy contracts, which will see the company contribute close to 30% of Ireland’s corporate power purchase agreement target by 2030.

Microsoft entered into multi-year Corporate Power Purchase Agreements (CPPAs) with Statkraft, Energia Group, and Power Capital Renewable Energy, related to the development of more than 900 megawatts of onshore wind and solar energy projects across Ireland.

The new power purchase agreements will help support efforts to add additional clean energy capacity to the electricity grid. The Government’s Climate Action Plan includes a target of 15% of electricity demand to be delivered from renewable energy CPPAs by 2030. This equates to approximately 6 terawatt hours of additional electricity generation.

Microsoft’s procurement will contribute 28% of that target before the end of the decade. The company is seeking to make a material contribution to accelerating the country’s journey to a net-zero future.

In line with the company’s global sustainability goal, Microsoft forecasts that it will cover 100% of its data centre electricity load by 2025 with renewable energy.

Commenting on the announcement, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar TD, said: “Data is an enabler of our digital world facilitating everything from remote working and online learning to e-commerce, e-health and online banking. As we position Ireland as a global digital leader and achieve our climate change objectives, Government is determined to progress both the digitalisation of our economy and its decarbonisation. Today’s announcement by Microsoft is very welcome news and will help to ensure that the company’s data centres play a more positive role in bringing new green power to the electricity grid and driving Ireland’s renewable energy transition.” 

 

Noelle Walsh, Corporate Vice President, Cloud Operations and Innovation, Microsoft said: “At Microsoft, we’re committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030, working with Governments globally to accelerate the journey to a net-zero future. That’s why I’m delighted to announce today that Microsoft has signed 900MW of onshore wind and solar renewable energy power purchase agreements, which will enable Microsoft to achieve our 2025 sustainability goals and to contribute close to 30% of Ireland’s corporate power purchase target by 2030. With these agreements, we support new renewable energy infrastructure in Ireland. We’re proud to be partnering with leading energy providers to bring this additional renewable energy on stream and help industry and Government and the broader energy sector to achieve its climate action ambitions.

 “This announcement builds on our efforts to make our data centres more sustainable and foster new innovations to support the growth of renewables on the energy grid here in Ireland. As we continue to support the growing demand for Cloud across public and private sectors, Microsoft is committed to partnering with all stakeholders to help Ireland on its grid decarbonisation journey while unlocking the opportunities of a digital economy and society.” 

Kevin O’Donovan, Managing Director, Statkraft Ireland said: “As Europe’s largest renewable energy company, Statkraft is already a key player in the Irish market. Given our rapidly growing wind and solar portfolio, as well as our market trading business, we are well-placed to support companies like Microsoft in achieving their renewable energy ambitions.

“Today’s announcement shows that our continued rollout of new wind and solar projects is not just having a significant impact on Ireland’s renewable targets, but helping to deliver affordable, green energy to homes, communities – and businesses – amid a fossil fuel-driven energy crisis.”

Ian Thom, CEO, Energia Group said: “As an Irish energy company with a proven history of delivering new renewable energy projects and for providing innovative solutions for our customers, today’s announcement with Microsoft highlights the benefit of collaboration in bringing about collective benefit for society, enterprise, and the economy.  Energia Group has set clear targets to promote Ireland’s energy transition and to facilitate the achievement of the Government’s 2030 targets that will be realised through a pipeline of almost 3,000 MW of new renewable projects across a range of technologies, including offshore wind, onshore wind and solar.  This agreement represents another step towards the achievement of these targets.”

Commenting on the announcement Power Capital Renewable Energy Co CEO Peter Duff said, “As an indigenous Irish company we are delighted to be partnering with Microsoft on such a landmark agreement. Solar is now a proven force in Ireland and has become increasingly viable for businesses and homes. We see Solar PV having a significant positive impact on the targets in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. We very much look forward to playing an increasing role in the further decarbonisation of the grid here in Ireland.”

Today’s announcement reinforces Microsoft’s commitment to advancing sustainability through collaboration and innovation. In July this year, the company outlined its plans to use its uninterruptable power supply (UPS) batteries within its data centres in Dublin for real-time interaction with Ireland’s power grid. On days when wind or solar power production is fluctuating, Microsoft’s backup batteries can be used to help maintain a steady flow of energy to power customers. That means fossil-fuel burning powerplants will be needed less often to maintain steady power, cutting emissions and fuel costs.