The foggy view

The main options for delivery on these aspirations include solar, wind and, potentially, biodigester-produced gas. Hydrogen power is another alternative, as a product subset of the mainstream renewables. In Ireland’s case, nuclear fission has been ruled out, with a State ban on nuclear power production, though not on nuclear power use – yet another virtue-signalling, hypocritical stance. We import electrical power from and through the UK, which contains varying percentages of nuclear-produced electricity and that’s alright, apparently. With the ongoing plans to develop new energy inter-connectors between Ireland and France, which has the highest percentage of nuclear power in Europe, the amount of nuclear generated electricity in the Irish grid is set to expand considerably in the coming years. But that’s alright too. We have effectively banned oil and gas exploration through a smokescreen of bureaucracy, yet we are quite willing to import gas, including fracked gas – another banned practice in Ireland – because it is impossible to differentiate between sources, to maintain our energy requirements. But that’s alright, as long as we can maintain our virtue-signalling policies. 

Hypocritical policies

These national policies mimic equally hypocritical EU policies. Europe has a ban on GM crop production, while facilitating imports of GM-produced grain. But that’s alright, as long as we can hold onto our 'cleaner' than thou self-image. Is renewable energy really cheaper? Despite increasing the percentage of renewable energy in the grid year on year, Irish electricity prices remain amongst the highest in the EU. The latest National Economic and Social Council (NESC) report suggests even higher prices are likely as our energy transition progresses. This in no way takes from the necessity to transition to renewable energy production. Claims that wind and solar power are cheaper do not take the additional costs into account of needing ‘always on’ back-up power available for when the wind does not blow, or blows too strongly, and for when the sun does not shine – on average half of every 24-hour day. Large-scale battery storage may ameliorate the unreliability of wind and solar though the costs involved are quite considerable, again adding to our energy bills. With NESC now confirming the likelihood that the ongoing transition to renewable power will mean higher energy prices for Irish consumers and businesses, consideration should be given, as the Council warns, to the impact this will have on our economic competitiveness as well as the cost of living. Another myth dispelled by the NESC report was the proposition that Ireland, with its windy weather, could be the ‘Saudi Arabia’ of wind power, exporting energy across Europe. If this surplus energy materialises - and that is in considerable doubt as major investors retreat from the Irish off-shore wind energy production sector - who will buy it if it is more expensive than other energy supply options? Wind works two ways. It is a potential energy resource and, in Storm Eowyn conditions, a hazard to wind energy infrastructure security. The case for large-scale solar is far from clear. Transitioning large acreages of food producing land to solar energy panels may be good economics in the short term. In the event we end up with surplus solar-produced electricity, does anyone realistically think it can be exported competitively compared to Spanish or North African solar-sourced energy?
NESC’s Dr Cathal FitzGerald stated that Ireland’s policy action for energy transition is headed into fog. There is little evidence that our decision-makers are mapping a clear path through that fog.