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Renewable energy

Trading essential for energy transition ElectroRoute’s Donal Flynn and Caoimhe Giblin Onshore wind • Offshore wind • Solar • Biomethane • Storage • Hydrogen

Issue 16 • 2026/2027

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Renewable Energy Summit 2027 Tuesday 9 February Croke Park, Dublin The major annual conference for the Irish renewable energy sector Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2027 Energy Ireland Renewable Energy Summit – contact Owen McQuade on +353 (0)1 661 3755 or

owen.mcquade@energyireland.ie for further information.

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Dangerous deception… renewable energy magazine

Welcome to the 16th issue of Energy Ireland’s Renewable Energy Magazine. 2026 has been marked by a world in chaos which has had profound consequences for global energy systems. Russia’s continued imperialism in Ukraine as well as the United States and Israel’s illegal war in Iran shows the volatility and unreliable nature of relying on fossil fuels. With Iran’s retaliatory closure of the Strait of Hormuz, around 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply was at risk of being cut off from global markets. Before the war, around 21.6 million barrels of oil and petroleum products passed through the Strait every day; in the second quarter of 2026, that had fallen to just 4.9 million barrels per day. LNG flows through the Strait similarly collapsed from 10.5 billion cubic feet per day to 0.8 billion. The knock-on effect has been felt across global energy markets. In Ireland, energy prices were 15.3 per cent higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, while overall inflation stood at 3.9 per cent. Recent disruption has also affected shipping through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb, further exposing the vulnerability of Middle East fossil fuel exports. It also exposes as nonsense the idea that reliance on fossil fuels is the key to energy security. Dependence on imported fossil fuels leaves consumers exposed to wars, geopolitical disputes, and vulnerable international shipping routes over which they have no control. Why is it then, that the people directly responsible for this disaster are also pretending that continued reliance on fossil fuels is the path back towards energy security and affordability? During his visit to Ireland in September 2026, Donald Trump had some typically idiotic advice, calling on the Irish Government to “open up the North Sea”, the body of water which forms the east coast of the island of Great Britain. We cannot allow idiocracy to drive policy, and encouragingly the key players in Ireland’s energy sector can see this. In this magazine, we hear from experts about both the challenges and solutions to hydrogen, solar, biomethane, offshore, and onshore wind, as well as a case for small modular reactors. We also hear from both of our country’s energy ministers, with both encouragingly committed to continuing the energy transition. Our cover story with ElectroRoute co-CEOs Donal Flynn and Catherine Giblin focuses on the potential of trading in Ireland’s energy transition, as well as the long-term future of storage technology. There are promising signs with onshore wind and solar development, and even incremental progress on pump storage. In 2025, onshore wind accounted for 32 per cent of Ireland’s electricity supply, while solar PV generation increased by 50 per cent to 1.65TWh. But we need to go much further and much faster. We cannot just accept that we will not meet our 2030 offshore wind targets; we have to make every effort to at least close the gap. The conversation around hydrogen development also needs new impetus. The promise of the publication of the National Hydrogen Strategy feels like a distant memory. Ireland still gets almost 80 per cent of its total energy from fossil fuels, underlining the scale of the transition ahead. The energy transition is under threat from misinformation, but we must hold firm and stay the course. The future of our planet, affordability for all our people, and ending reliance on the good will of Washington, Moscow, and Tel Aviv for our energy security depends on it.

Joshua Murray

Contents RENEWABLE ENERGY MAGAZINE

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Contents

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Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien TD discusses Ireland’s energy transition

Cover story: ElectroRoute CEOs Donal Flynn and Catherine Giblin

Minister for the Economy Caoimhe Archibald MLA on the North’s energy revolution

Meeting Ireland’s biomethane targets

Professor Brian Ó Gallochóir: ‘Ireland’s energy transition past and future’

Catherine Vilquin, President of the European Council of Spatial Planners, discusses accelerating the European transition to net zero

UK government’s Lucy Yu on how AI can enhance the electricity grid

Euroheat’s Luca Neumann highlights the potential of decarbonised district heating cooling to support the EU’s climate targets

Paula Rey Garcia of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy discusses and the challenges around electrification, affordability, flexibility, and investment

Reflections: 30 Years of Energy Ireland

Department of Transport Assistant Secretary Eamonn Kelly

Q&A: Scottish Government offshore wind director Michelle Quinn

Interview: BnM’s Brendan Kelly

Financial Times Energy Editor Malcolm Moore outlines how geopolitics is shaping our energy future

MaREI’s Duncan Matthews on renewing hydrogen momentum

Renewable Energy Magazine directory

SC-DMAP implementation underway

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Back page: Paul Deane examines the case for small modular reactors

Editorial Owen McQuade Joshua Murray Ciaran Brennan Gareth Hamill Fiona McCarthy

Design Gareth Duffy Jamie Hogan Advertising/Commercial Sam Tobin sam.tobin@energyireland.ie

Publishers Energy Ireland www.energyireland.ie info@energyireland.ie energyireland

Office: Clifton House Lower Fitzwilliam Street Dublin 2, D02 XT91 Tel: 01 661 3755

renewable energy magazine

Accelerating Ireland’s energy transition Ireland must accelerate the delivery of renewable generation, grid infrastructure, and energy efficiency measures to reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets, according to Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien TD. Minister O’Brien says that recent geopolitical events such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US-Israel bombing of Iran have demonstrated the risks associated with Ireland’s continued dependence on imported fossil fuels, arguing that the energy transition had become both an environmental and economic imperative. While acknowledging the immediate pressure on households and businesses from energy costs, O’Brien says that energy efficiency and renewable generation are measures capable of providing longer-term resilience against future shocks. The Government has introduced a €750 million package of supports for productive sectors and vulnerable households, while significant resources are also being directed towards residential energy efficiency.

Approximately 240,000 homes have now been retrofitted, with the Government targeting around 70,000 further retrofits in 2026. O’Brien highlights the introduction of the retrofitting passport, intended to allow households to undertake measures incrementally rather than waiting until they can complete a full deep retrofit. “Deep retrofit is very good and is where we want to get to, but any measures that can be taken to reduce energy consumption, to reduce emissions for households, and reduce bills for households and families is what we want to do,” he says. More than 50,000 applications for retrofit support were received during the first four

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“I have been very straight and direct with people; that is not going to be the case.” Minister Darragh O’Brien TD on the 2030 offshore targets

months of the year, according to O’Brien, representing a doubling of applications. He says that the response demonstrates public demand for measures which reduce both energy consumption and costs, while also contributing to emissions reductions. The Government will invest more than €650 million in home retrofit supports during the year, while O’Brien says that further work is being undertaken with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to expand support for businesses. Around 5,000 businesses were retrofitted during the previous year, he says, generating savings while reducing their exposure to future energy price shocks. O’Brien links the need for greater energy security to the succession of economic and geopolitical disruptions experienced over the past decade, including Brexit, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis, changes in US trade policy, and the US-Israel bombing of Iran. “Any measures that we can take here to provide protections for people is really, really important,” he says.

Renewable expansion Ireland’s renewable generation capacity has expanded substantially over the past decade, with O’Brien highlighting the addition of approximately 5GW of new renewable capacity. The State now has around 8GW of renewable generation capacity, while renewables have in recent months met almost half of electricity demand. Wind remains the dominant renewable technology, although the Minister emphasises the increasing contribution of solar and the need to continue expanding both onshore and offshore generation. “We now, as a country, have 8GW of renewables in renewable capacity in our system,” he says. “We need to accelerate that.”

The Government’s renewable electricity support scheme has attracted significant interest, with the most recent auction delivering a generation mix of approximately 70 per cent solar and 30 per cent wind. Offshore wind represents a particularly significant opportunity, but O’Brien acknowledges that Ireland’s original ambition to have major offshore projects electrified by 2030 will not be achieved. “I have been very straight and direct with people; that is not going to be the case,” he says. The immediate objective is now to secure planning consents and move projects into construction, with O’Brien expressing hope that two significant planning decisions could be secured during the year. He also stresses the importance of creating a longer-term pipeline of offshore wind development, providing greater certainty for industry and developers. Work is underway on the national maritime area plan, which will identify additional sites that can subsequently be brought forward through auctions. O’Brien points to Ireland’s first offshore auction as evidence of continued investor interest, asserting that the process attracted four bidders and produced a competitive price despite challenging economic conditions. “It shows that even with the challenges that we have had with regard to offshore wind, particularly in the current economic climate, Ireland is seen as a 4

Building European connections Ireland’s energy transition will also require stronger connections beyond the island, particularly as renewable generation increases.

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The Celtic Interconnector, linking Ireland with France, is expected to be operational in 2028. O’Brien describes it as a significant piece of infrastructure and Ireland’s first direct electricity interconnection with continental Europe. He also confirms that he has signed a memorandum of understanding with Spain to assess the possibility of further interconnection. The Minister asserts that such connections would strengthen Ireland’s energy resilience while creating opportunities to export electricity as domestic renewable generation expands.

very desirable place to develop offshore wind,” he says.

Planning and grid capacity Accelerating renewable deployment will require changes to the infrastructure and planning systems supporting it. O’Brien warns that delays would carry economic, environmental, and strategic costs. He argues that slow delivery would leave Ireland exposed to international fossil fuel markets while potentially directing investment towards countries capable of delivering clean energy infrastructure more quickly. The Minister points to the Planning and Development Act 2024 as an important component of the new planning environment, with applications for new projects to be assessed under the legislation. Additional resources provided to An Coimisiún Pleanála and local authorities are also beginning to improve consenting times, according to O’Brien.

He says that the Government is seeking further acceleration through the passage of critical infrastructure legislation, which he describes as important in prioritising energy and other infrastructure projects. Central to that infrastructure programme is the expansion and reinforcement of the electricity grid. O’Brien highlights the PR6 programme and says the delivery of 520 capital projects will be essential to increasing grid capacity and resilience. Among these projects, he identifies the North-South Interconnector as particularly important. “This one piece of infrastructure will do so much for affordability, so much for resilience, so much to enable us to accelerate the integration of renewables into our grid,” he says. O’Brien says there would be no further reviews of the North-South Interconnector’s undergrounding arrangements, following previous reviews, and that the project would proceed on the basis of its existing consents.

“If we look at what has happened over the course of the last just few months, in particular, we can see how quickly international events hit us very, very hard here because of our overdependence on imported fossil [fuels],” he says. On how the State’s ongoing presidency can be best utilised, Minister O’Brien identifies the European grids package as one of the significant files expected to progress during the presidency, alongside measures aimed at accelerating industrial and clean-energy development. Concluding, O’Brien reaffirms the Government’s commitment to scaling up renewable deployment, strengthening the electricity grid, and reducing Ireland’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. He says that the transition will deliver two major benefits: reducing emissions while strengthening the economic position of the State. “There are two major wins within that: one from an environmental perspective, but two critically from an economic perspective.”

Delivering renewable energy solutions through solid biomass including for energy use, once existing board mill and other solid wood uses have been satisfied.

Bioenergy is a dependable, proven, and widely deployed renewable energy technology. Bioenergy (biomass, biogas, and biofuels) is the leading source of renewable energy in the European Union, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of total renewable energy. When combined with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) technologies, bioenergy achieves negative emissions, writes Seán Finan, CEO of IrBEA. Ireland currently has the lowest deployment of renewable heat in Europe at under 8 per cent, the EU average sits at 24.8 per cent renewable heat, mainly due to solid biomass contributing 20.64 per cent. The scale of the heat decarbonisation challenge is enormous. It is increasingly certain that forestry will be a provider of construction materials in an emerging bioeconomy. The use of forest by-products and residues to produce quality indigenous biomass fuels will play a significant role in displacing imported fossil fuels. The Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) scheme, managed by IrBEA is a key enabler of the solid biomass supply chain in Ireland. Promotion of the WFQA has been supported to date through grant aid provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). In Ireland, there are nearly 140 fully certified suppliers of wood fuels including firewood, woodchip, pellets,

and wood briquettes. WFQA certification satisfies the requirements for biomass under the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) and the Air Pollution Act 1987 (Solid Fuel) Regulations 2022. In 2024, IrBEA became a national supporting body for the Sustainable Resources Verification Scheme GmbH (SURE), a European certification body which provides sustainability certification services to WFQA members in compliance with the Renewable Energy Directive. Forest-based biomass is complementary to sustainable forest management where the objective is to produce high quality timber for use in the construction sector as low embodied carbon building materials. Production of sawlog-sized material involves practices such as thinning and the production of smaller size logs that have a number of markets,

An Energy Supply Contract (ESCO) is preferred by many heat users as it takes responsibility for fuelling, operating, and maintaining the biomass heating system with the heat user paying for the units of heat delivered. For heat users, the Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) is a 15-year SEAI administered operational support for biomass heating systems. There are several hundred biomass heating systems operating successfully across Ireland. Biomass fuels can readily meet the challenges of domestic, commercial, and industrial energy demand. Large demand and higher temperature heat users such as the food processing and the pharmaceutical sector will be difficult to decarbonise without the widespread use of solid biomass. In 2024, the Irish Bioenergy Association launched a solid biomass capacity statement which demonstrates the capacity of the solid biomass sector to deliver decarbonised heating solutions using solid biomass. Biomass systems support indigenous jobs, energy security, and local supply chains through the provision of quality, sustainably certified, and renewable fuels. The Irish Bioenergy Association works on behalf of members to develop the sector. The Wood Fuel Quality Assurance (WFQA) Scheme is a key enabler of solid biomass as a reliable source of renewable energy.

Seán Finan CEO, Irish Bioenergy Association E: seanfinan@irbea.org W: www.irbea.org W: www.wfqa.org

cover story

Trading essential for energy transition Energy Ireland’s Joshua Murray meets with the co-CEOs of ElectroRoute, Caoimhe Giblin and Donal Flynn, in their Dublin headquarters. The CEOs discuss the role of trading in the energy transition, the need for increased battery storage, and their company’s journey from a small startup to a significant international organisation in the 15 years since its foundation. 8

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Fifteen years since its foundation, ElectroRoute has grown from a small Irish energy trading start-up into an international business managing more than 4GW of renewable and flexible energy assets. However, for co-CEOs Caoimhe Giblin and Donal Flynn, the company’s origins remain closely tied to a relatively simple proposition: “When the founders were setting up the company, they were looking at how the energy transition was going to result in a demand for more innovative trading solutions. At the time, the only options were the utilities, so they decided to provide that type of functionality to the market,” Giblin says. Founded at the height of the financial crisis, ElectroRoute initially focused on establishing the market infrastructure required to trade electricity independently. Its early activity centred on the interconnectors between Ireland and Britain, including the then recently commissioned East-West Interconnector. “There was a lot of renewable power being wasted on the island of Ireland, so the team started by exporting that extra surplus of renewable power when it was cheap in Ireland and selling it into the Great Britain system.” The company’s original proposition was therefore closely connected to the challenge that remains at the heart of the energy transition: renewable generation is increasingly abundant, but

its output is variable and must be managed differently from conventional generation. Flynn, who joined ElectroRoute in 2021 after group CFO roles with ESB and Glen Dimplex, says the founders recognised that renewables required a much greater level of market granularity. “A historic base-load fossil plant will run at a certain level pretty much all the time, whereas solar or batteries or wind are much more variable. They go up and down. For renewables, it is necessary to forecast with a 15-minute granularity right from day one, and then manage variations on a 24/7 basis,” he says. This understanding has become central to ElectroRoute’s business. In 2026, the company trades across wind, solar, hydro, batteries, combined heat and power, and other flexible assets in Ireland and Britain.

From Ireland to Japan A significant milestone came in 2016, when Mitsubishi Corporation acquired a majority stake in ElectroRoute, subsequently moving to full ownership in 2022. The CEOs explain that Mitsubishi saw an opportunity to take ElectroRoute’s expertise into Japan, where the energy market was undergoing its own process of deregulation and renewable investment.

“Japan is behind Europe in terms of deregulation of the energy market. ElectroRoute had been through that deregulation journey, that journey of renewables coming onto the system, and how you thrive in that environment,” Flynn explains. He adds: “Part of our mandate in ElectroRoute was to build the platform we had in Europe over in Japan.” The result has been a substantial Japanese business, with its operation now holding around 2GW of assets under management and approximately 50 people. Giblin states that the Japanese expansion demonstrates the importance of combining local knowledge with expertise developed in another market. “It would have been very hard as an Irish company to do that without the local support of Mitsubishi,” she says. “It was a unique mix of Mitsubishi and their strong name and connections and understanding of the Japanese market, combined with our experience and knowledge from having built a company like that in Europe.” Flynn says the partnership worked because neither side attempted to replicate the other’s capabilities. “The culture and the language are very different, and I do not think it would be possible for an Irish business to go in there on its own. I think you need a trusted local partner, and we could not

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cover story have had a better one than Mitsubishi Corporation.”

current output, weather conditions, and plant availability.

There was also a two-way transfer of expertise, with Japanese staff coming to Ireland for training and ElectroRoute personnel relocating to Tokyo.

“What our traders are doing is taking that information and deciding when to sell that power into the market, effectively in real time. It is very much about taking all the real-time information and making those trading decisions,” Giblin says.

“The recognition that Mitsubishi Corporation brought certain unique things, ElectroRoute brought certain unique things. I think both parties recognised the value the other was bringing,” Flynn says.

The case for trading While ElectroRoute has expanded geographically, its core objective remains the optimisation of renewable and flexible assets. For wind and solar, the challenge is that generators cannot determine when the wind blows or when the sun shines. The trading operation therefore needs to constantly assess market conditions and generation forecasts to determine how and when electricity should be sold. “We have a team of energy traders who work 24/7 here in Dublin who are in front of the screens all day, all night, and all year,” Giblin explains. The company receives regular information from individual generating assets, allowing traders to assess

The same principle becomes particularly important with batteries. “The success of a battery depends on charging it when prices are low, and discharging, selling the power back into the grid when prices are high,” she adds. The trading desk therefore has to assess a range of variables including renewable generation and electricity demand, as well as gas generation and prices, in deciding when a battery should charge or discharge.

“We can see whether a weather system is hitting a plant that we look after in the southwest of the island before it hits the northeast. All of those things combine to give us relevance and a reason for having a role in the energy system,” Flynn says.

Batteries The company’s focus is increasingly shifting towards flexibility, particularly battery storage. Giblin describes wind and solar as the company’s “bread and butter”, but says the next stage of the energy transition depends on finding ways to use renewable electricity when it is available and retain it for when it is needed. “The other big growth area in terms of investment for the Irish system is around how to either store that energy or use that energy smartly,” she says.

Flynn says ElectroRoute’s scale provides an additional advantage: “It is much more difficult to predict what is coming out of a single turbine versus hundreds of turbines and solar plants. We have a really helpful portfolio effect.”

“That encompasses batteries, flexible generation, and flexible demand. Whether it is flexible storage like batteries, flexible generation like peaker plants, or flexible demand, flexibility is key and it is really critical to getting towards net zero.”

The company’s scale also allows it to operate a 24-hour trading desk and benefit from information across multiple assets and geographical areas.

ElectroRoute is already developing new commercial structures around batteries in Great Britain, including arrangements that provide developers with greater revenue certainty.

In Ireland, Giblin sees significant potential once regulatory uncertainty is resolved. “We are keen to offer products to the market that provide revenue certainty to those batteries and we are in discussions with a number of battery developers about that at the moment.”

Collaborative leadership The company’s expansion has coincided with an unusual leadership structure. Giblin and Flynn became coCEOs in 2024, following the decision by founder and original CEO Ronan Doherty to step back. Both independently suggested a co-CEO structure to the shareholder. Flynn says the model also fitted with Mitsubishi’s consensus-based approach. “It allowed them to keep both of us. The Japanese model is very much based on consensus, so it echoed quite nicely with them and gave a lot of continuity.” The arrangement is underpinned by a long professional relationship between the two CEOs. “We have known each other a long time, and we trust each other,” says Flynn. “I feel we certainly get through a greater quantum of work because there are two of us. I think there is an underestimated value in being able to bounce an idea off Caoimhe and ensure a collaborative approach in our decision-making.” Day-to-day responsibilities are divided with Giblin overseeing client trading activities, proprietary trading and IT while Flynn takes responsibility for finance, risk, HR, and support functions. However, the most important decisions remain shared.

Ambitions With the business in Japan now established as a profitable, independently operating business, ElectroRoute’s strategic focus has returned firmly to Europe. The company has around 1.5GW under management in Great Britain and is

Flynn says the immediate priorities are to maintain the company’s position in onshore wind and solar, expand its battery activities, and continue growing geographically. “We see batteries growing more and we envisage growth in Britain. Beyond that, we are looking at other markets in continental Europe.” Technology will be central to that expansion. ElectroRoute has invested heavily in its data and analytics capabilities through its Quantum Core function, bringing together data scientists, data engineers, and market specialists. Underpinning this is ElectroRoute’s graduate programme, the ElectroRoute Academy, which ensures that at least three newly qualified professionals enter the company every year.

As the share of intermittent renewable generation grows, so too does the need for sophisticated trading, flexibility, storage, and data. For ElectroRoute, the next 15 years will be about taking that original proposition beyond Ireland. “We have already shown we can build a market position in Britain and Japan, so we are definitely aiming for geographic expansion,” Giblin says.

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Giblin also emphasises the importance of long-duration energy storage: “To provide full flexibility to the system for renewables, we need long-duration energy storage because that is a key part of the system.”

looking at further continental European markets.

At the same time, the company expects its role in Ireland’s energy system to continue evolving. Giblin points to the State’s data centre sector as one example, arguing that large electricity users could increasingly become integrated parts of a more flexible energy system. “Data centres will become more like energy centres, combining on-site renewable generation with battery and storage capability, as well as flexible demand,” she says.

“We have invested significantly in our data and analytics capability over the last few years. We have a team of data scientists, data engineers, and market and industry experts who work together on developing trading strategy, optimising models, and machine learning models,” Giblin says.

About: Caoimhe Giblin Caoimhe Giblin is co-CEO of ElectroRoute. A chartered accountant, she began her career with KPMG before moving into the renewables sector with Airtricity/SSE Renewables where she spent a decade in finance and corporate finance roles. She joined ElectroRoute around 2012 to establish its client services business, which now trades approximately 4GW of assets across multiple technologies, including wind, solar, hydro, and batteries. Originally from Rush, County Dublin, she now lives in Meath with her husband, two children, and a variety of pets. She is an avid reader and enthusiastic, adventurous traveller.

About: Donal Flynn Donal Flynn is co-CEO of ElectroRoute and has over two decades’ experience in the energy and renewables sector. A qualified accountant, he trained with Arthur Andersen before holding senior roles with General Electric, SSE Renewables, ESB, and Glen Dimplex. Flynn joined ElectroRoute in 2021 and became co-CEO shortly afterwards. Outside of work, he is a keen cyclist and an avid Connacht Rugby supporter, and lives with his wife and two daughters.

renewable energy magazine

The North’s ‘energy revolution’ The North’s Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA outlines the progress being made in the region’s “energy revolution”, the work underway to achieve its renewable targets, and the importance of collaboration with its neighbours. Caoimhe Archibald MLA says that, in the last year, “the need to end our reliance on imported fossil fuels has become even more clear” due to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine. The Minister highlights the potential of a more self-sufficient green economy, noting that the low carbon and renewable energy sector generated approximately £1.6 billion in turnover in 2024, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). To realise this potential, Archibald says her focus is “to accelerate progress on laying the foundations for lasting price stability, sustainable investment, and an economy powered by reliable and affordable clean energy”.

Energy progress The Executive’s Energy Strategy was published in December 2021 and set targets of 80 per cent renewable electricity consumption, a 25 per cent reduction in energy consumption from buildings and industry, and an annual green economy turnover of £2 billion by 2030.

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“Affordability is the critical consideration, people must see and feel the benefits of change and have confidence that this energy revolution will be fair, will be properly supported, and focused on lower and more stable energy costs for the long term.” Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Minister for the Economy

The mid-term review of the strategy found that there was only one per cent progress toward the energy savings target, however, Archibald states this is not an accurate figure: “We are now at 15 per cent of the strategy’s target, lower than what is actually being achieved due to the lag nature of reporting against policy interventions.” Archibald adds: “We have a clear line of sight on how to achieve the energy savings target to 2030 even if it will inevitably take several years into the 2030s for it to be fully reported.” There has been more measurable progress on the renewable electricity target. The proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources in the year to June 2026 was 50 per cent of gross final electricity consumption, compared to 44 per cent in the previous period and matching the highest level previously recorded. Archibald says previous decreases in renewable generation were mainly due to “maximising imports of cheaper imports from Britain, set against falling electricity demand”. The Minister adds this is unlike the Republic where “the challenge is different in the need to meet rising demand driven by data centre growth”. To continue its progress on renewable usage, in May 2026, the North became the first region between Ireland and the UK to consult on detailed geothermal regulation.

Reaching 2030 targets Despite the record levels of renewable electricity generation, more work is needed to reach the strategy’s target by 2030. Archibald says: “Continued growth in renewable electricity generation is essential in meeting our targets and

opening up investment and green growth opportunities across Ireland.” To this end, the Department for the Economy (DfE) is developing a new support scheme, the Renewable Electricity Price Guarantee (REPG), to incentivise an increase in renewable electricity generation by reducing exposure to wholesale price volatility. The REPG is modelled on the Republic’s Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) and Britain’s Contract for Difference (CfD). It will hold auctions to offer renewable energy projects a 15-year, inflation-linked contract, with a fixed-price benchmark supply of electricity using a reference of the SEM day-ahead price. The draft bill to deliver this scheme is currently with the Executive for agreement, and Archibald says: “Once in law, it will be used over the next 25 years to deliver lower electricity costs to households than they are paying today.” As contained within the design plan for the rollout of smart electricity meters, published in April 2026, the Minister has asked NIE Networks to deliver first meter installations in 2028 and complete the rollout by 2030. Archibald says that “smart metering will play an important part in tackling fuel poverty”, adding: “I would like to prioritise delivery to lower-income households as they have the potential to benefit relatively the most.” Additionally, the Minister notes that “an important part of our journey towards decarbonisation lies in how we heat our homes”, adding: “People deserve the security of a warm, comfortable home without being exposed to sudden rises in oil and natural gas prices.”

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To support homeowners as they move to low-carbon heating options, DfE is developing a new domestic energy efficiency and low carbon heat programme. A public consultation on this was due to be launched in summer 2026, although this has not yet occurred. The Minister says the responses will “inform my final decisions on the measures the scheme will support, the financial support available, and the quality assurance measures that will be needed”.

Energy collaboration DfE has previously identified electricity and energy collaboration between the North and its neighbours as critical in lowering prices, increasing stability, and maximising renewable energy. In August 2026, DfE published an electricity interconnection policy statement setting out the guiding principles that underpin its approach to east-west electricity interconnection. Archibald welcomes further collaboration and says: “Increased interconnection will enable us to export surplus renewable power when it is windy and import lower cost electricity when we need it.” The Minister also reiterates her support for the North-South Interconnector, saying: “It is critical to reducing electricity costs for consumers across the island and at a time of global uncertainty, strengthening our all-island

infrastructure is essential to delivering a secure, resilient, and affordable energy system.” The planned 140km overhead highvoltage electricity link connecting the power grids of the Republic and the North was first proposed in 2006 and was granted planning permission in 2020. However, it is not expected to be completed by its target of the end of 2031. Construction on the estimated €350 million (£300 million) project has begun in the North. Archibald also says she is a “strong supporter” of the Single Electricity Market (SEM), which allows power generators and energy suppliers to buy and sell electricity on an all-island basis. The Minister adds: “It is important that affordability remains at the centre of how the SEM evolves and I welcome the work that the SEM committee is doing on its strategic direction going forward.” As part of the Labour government’s reset in relations with the EU, the potential recoupling of the day-ahead EU internal electricity market and the British electricity wholesale market has gained prominence. Archibald welcomes this idea, saying: “I hope that these negotiations lead to agreement in this area, as the prize in terms of cost reduction for electricity consumers on this island is a material one.”

Before the UK left the EU, both the SEM and the electrical market of Britain were part of this shared system, but since 2021 the SEM has run its dayahead market separately, so there is no direct electricity link between the SEM and mainland Europe. Concluding, the Minister highlights the importance of the North’s “energy revolution” in delivering tangible benefits to consumers, saying: “Affordability is the critical consideration, people must see and feel the benefits of change and have confidence that this energy revolution will be fair, will be properly supported, and focused on lower and more stable energy costs for the long term. “I am committed to accelerating progress in the North, laying the foundations for lasting price stability, sustainable investment, and an economy that is powered by reliable, clean, affordable energy. That is the prize and I believe that it is within our reach.” Caoimhe Archibald MLA has been the North’s Economy Minister since February 2025. She has been a Sinn Féin member of the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2016, representing East Derry.

renewable energy magazine

New Flexibility Needs Assessment supports a renewable-led electricity system Flexibility will not remove the need to invest in the electricity grid, but it can help the system make better use of existing and future infrastructure.

A new European requirement CRU’s Flexibility Needs Assessment is part of a new EU-wide approach to understanding how electricity systems will need to adapt in the years ahead. Across the EU, member states are now required to assess the level of flexibility their electricity systems are likely to need over the next decade.

John Melvin, Director Security of Supply and Wholesale Markets at the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), discusses Ireland’s first national Flexibility Needs Assessment (FNA). The CRU has published Ireland’s first national FNA which analyses how much flexibility the electricity system is likely to need in 2028 and 2030, and identifies the market, regulatory, and operational issues that could make it harder to deliver this level of flexibility. Ireland’s transition to renewable electricity depends on more wind and solar generation, supported by a flexible grid that can respond to where and when electricity is produced and needed.

The assessment uses a common methodology developed and approved by the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). This allows Ireland’s findings to be compared with those from other European states, while reflecting the particular needs of the Irish electricity system. The CRU led the assessment in collaboration with EirGrid and ESB Networks, which provided the technical analysis. The CRU also worked closely with the Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland, given the all-island electricity system and the Single Electricity Market.

Why flexibility matters

What the FNA analyses

Grid flexibility is becoming increasingly important as Ireland uses more renewable electricity. It allows the electricity system to adapt quickly when supply or demand changes; in particular when wind and solar generation varies with the weather and time of day.

The FNA establishes where, when, and how much flexibility Ireland’s electricity system is likely to need in the years ahead. It looks at:

For electricity customers, flexibility is important because it can help Ireland make better use of renewable electricity, ease pressure on the grid, and support a secure, efficient electricity system.

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network needs, including local congestion and voltage management challenges;

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how much flexibility may be needed, and when;

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existing and potential sources of flexibility;

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market, regulatory, and operational barriers that could slow down the use of flexibility resources; and

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the role flexibility can play in supporting Ireland’s 2027 indicative national objective for non-fossil flexibility.

Key findings The FNA shows that flexibility is needed: to manage surplus renewable generation across the electricity system and transmission network; and

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at distribution level it is needed to address local capacity constraints.

Flexibility can help the grid work more efficiently, but it will not remove the need for investment in the network. Flexibility needs may be met through explicit flexibility products and more efficient market arrangements which strengthen signals and enable flexible resources to respond to system needs. Flexibility needs can be met by a wide range of sources including demand-side resources, energy storage, flexible generation, distributed energy resources capable of adjusting generation or consumption, including shifting consumption. Not all needs must be met, it is unlikely to be economic to meet all identified needs, and some residual renewable dispatch down is expected to remain. Market, regulatory, and operational barriers to flexibility still exist, although good progress is already being made to enable and support flexibility. The methodology is not perfect, the assessment also identified challenges in applying the ACER methodology using existing modelling frameworks and in aligning European methodology requirements with Single Electricity Market-specific operational arrangements and processes. These issues will be considered further to support potential improvements in future iterations of the FNA.

Supporting renewable energy integration One of the most significant findings from the assessment is the growing importance of flexibility in supporting renewable energy integration. As renewable generation increases, flexibility will be needed to manage

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•

“As renewable generation increases, flexibility will be needed to manage periods when output exceeds demand and when network constraints limit the transport of electricity to where it is needed.” periods when output exceeds demand and when network constraints limit the transport of electricity to where it is needed. The FNA shows that dispatch down is driven by surplus renewable generation, operational constraints, and network congestion. It also shows that some renewable electricity may still need to be reduced at times, where this is the most efficient way to run the electricity system. The FNA supports Ireland’s work to decarbonise the electricity system while maintaining security of supply and value for customers. By identifying needs early, Ireland can better understand where market arrangements, operational measures, network development, and targeted flexibility products may be required.

Next steps The Flexibility Needs Assessment will inform future decisions on policy, regulation, markets, and how flexibility services are developed. One of the next steps will be setting Ireland’s indicative national objective for non-fossil flexibility in 2027. The CRU will continue to work with EirGrid, ESB Networks,

and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment to build the evidence needed to support that work. This assessment is also the start of an ongoing process. It will be updated at least every two years, with the next assessment expected to begin in 2027. Future updates are expected to look further ahead and reflect improvements in modelling, data, and understanding of Ireland’s changing electricity system. The CRU will also host an industry workshop in October 2026, where stakeholders, including market participants, will be given an overview of the FNA process, methodology, and key findings, and will have an opportunity to ask questions on the recently published FNA report. The workshop will also help raise wider awareness of the role flexibility can play in the energy system. As Ireland continues to use more renewable energy, flexibility will be central to making the electricity system work well for homes, businesses, and communities.

W: www.cru.ie

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Biomethane target ‘could cut farm inequality’ Reaching Ireland’s 2030 target of producing 5.7TWh of biomethane could increase incomes among lower-income cattle farms and reduce inequality across the agricultural sector, according to new ESRI research. Fuelling Change: The distributional and climate impacts of farmers supplying biomethane feedstocks in Ireland, by Anita Vollmer, Miguel Tovar Reaños, and Muireann Lynch, finds that using agricultural land to produce biomethane feedstocks could support a “just energy transition”, but would involve a trade-off between reducing inequality, maximising emissions reductions, and keeping abatement costs down. The study focuses on Ireland’s target of producing 5.7TWh of biomethane annually by 2030. It uses data from the Teagasc National Farm Survey and a microsimulation model to assess which farms would switch to biomethane feedstock production under four different scenarios. The four scenarios are as follows:

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farm efficiency;

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farm profitability;

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emissions reduction; and

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a partial-conversion scenario in which farms retain livestock while converting part of their land to biomethane silage.

Income distribution The most significant distributional finding concerns lower-income cattle farms. Under the profit scenario, around 3,058 farms would switch completely to biomethane silage production. Almost all of these would be cattle farms, with an average family farm income of just €5,431

compared with €34,202 across the overall farming population. For these farms, switching would increase average cattle farm income by 8.7 per cent. Overall farm income would increase by 2.6 per cent, while inequality, measured using the Gini coefficient, would fall by 3.4 per cent.

The farms most likely to switch under the profit scenario are relatively extensive, lowintensity farms. Removing livestock production from these farms could therefore result in livestock production becoming more concentrated among higher-intensity farms. The ESRI authors describe this as a concern because “the most environmentally sustainable and extensive farms would be those transitioning away from livestock farming, leading to a consolidation of livestock farming into high-intensity farms”.

Emissions reduction For the alternative climate scenario, the model selects farms with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per hectare. Around 4,058 farms would need to switch completely to biomethane silage, with an average stocking rate of 2.5 livestock units per hectare. This produces the greatest emissions reduction of the scenarios examined: approximately 2.1 MtCO2eq, compared with 1.7 MtCO2eq under the efficiency scenario and 1.6 MtCO2eq under the profit scenario. The partial conversion scenario produces approximately 1.4 MtCO2eq of abatement. The report models that climate-focused farms experience significant income reductions, with average dairy-farm income falling by 7 per cent and cattlefarm income by 4.3 per cent. Overall inequality increases by 2 per cent.

Under the three full-conversion scenarios, between 5.8 per cent and 7.7 per cent of cattle and dairy farms would need to convert completely to biomethane silage production. However, these scenarios would require between approximately 17 million and 18 million m3 of slurry from farms not participating in biomethane production.

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The authors therefore identify a potential distributional benefit from directing biomethane production towards lower income farms. However, they caution that the very low incomes of these farms raise questions about whether they would actually have the resources or motivation to make the transition.

Can the 5.7TWh target be achieved?

The partial conversion scenario avoids the need for imported slurry, but would involve 71.8 per cent of farms and would produce only 4.35TWh. In this context, the ESRI concludes that under its assumptions “it may not be possible to reach the Government target of 5.7TWh biomethane from on-farm feedstocks alone”.

A high-cost form of abatement All four scenarios have a marginal abatement cost above the ESRI’s assumed 2030 carbon shadow price of €408/tCO2eq. The climate scenario performs best on this measure, at €472/tCO2eq when biomethane replaces fossil gas for heat and €415/tCO2eq when used in transport. The other scenarios generally range between €500 and €600/tCO2eq for heat. The report contextualises that these results are sensitive to the price achieved for biomethane. A substantially higher biomethane price could reduce the marginal abatement cost to between €300/tCO2eq and €400/tCO2eq in some circumstances. The paper concludes that agricultural biomethane can contribute to a just energy transition, but that policymakers face competing objectives of reducing farmincome inequality, maximising emissions reductions, and minimising the cost of abatement. Importantly, the farm data available for the analysis dates from 2017 and the model lacks sufficient spatial information to determine whether the required slurry would be available close enough to proposed biomethane plants.

The study consequently identifies a tension between the social and environmental objectives of biomethane policy. The authors conclude that “there is likely a trade-off between reducing inequality and other benefits”.

Offaly is leading in Ireland’s net zero ambition, protecting communities and responding to the biodiversity crisis, according to Andrew Murray, Director of Services, Offaly County Council. Andrew Murray

as a renewables leader will be retained well into the next decade,” says Andrew Murray.

Credit: Currents newsletter by Green Energy Collective, based on Eirgrid and SEMO data.

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Offaly leading the way in renewables and biodiversity

While not all energy sources operate simultaneously or at full capacity, Offaly’s 2GW renewables ‘pipeline’, combined with a similar ‘pipeline’ of conventional generation, storage, hydrogen projects, CO2 battery technology, and synchronous condensers should be considered against Ireland’s peak electricity demand of approximately 6GW.

Plan-led and strategic vision

Offaly was the number one producer of renewable electricity nationally in January, March, May, June, and August 2026.

Offaly is a national leader in renewable electricity generation. Having had a long tradition of peat-fired power generation and a strong electricity grid network, the county has transformed from having a zero renewables base only 12 years ago. According to Currents newsletter by Green Energy Collective, the county was Ireland’s number one producer of renewable electricity in January, March, May, June, and August 2026. This position is driven by nine operational wind farms, with a combined capacity of approximately 520MW and the 120MW Edenderry biomass plant, while grid-

scale solar deployment gathers pace. It is envisaged that growth in renewables will continue. Four additional wind farms are currently before An Coimisiún Pleanála, with five more projects at preplanning stage. Together these could deliver over 1GW of electricity. Approximately 23 solar projects are proposed, permitted, or under construction, representing around 1.1GW of capacity. “Having regard to the likely lead time for offshore wind and Offaly’s renewables pipeline, it is predicted that this position

Offaly’s renewable energy success has been strategic, plan-led, and grounded in a sense of a ‘reasonable balance’. The 2009-2014 Wind Energy Strategy identified two strategic areas for wind energy development at a time when focus was on the western seaboard. The county’s first wind farm at Mountlucas was energised in 2014. Since 2024, over 300MW of wind generation has been installed. The wind energy target in the current County Development Plan 2021-2027 was exceeded by approximately 15 per cent, some 18 months before its expiry and the solar target is expected to be comfortably exceeded. “To date, our plan-led approach, endorsed through three successive County Development Plans, has proven successful. An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decisions have aligned with the provisions of our plan,” Murray states.

Delivering on national targets Offaly’s wind energy pipeline represents approximately 11 per cent of Ireland’s 9GW onshore wind target and approximately 40 per cent of the target for the Eastern and Midlands Region set under the National Planning Framework, first revision 2025. For solar energy, the figures are approximately 14 per cent of the national 8GW target and 30 per cent of the regional target.

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However, a significant national challenge remains. According to Murray: “To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, substantial additional renewable energy will be required. However, there is no clear national figure in GW against which to plan to 2050 and allocate reasonable targets to counties.” Offaly believes that the forthcoming Regional Renewable Energy Strategies (RRES) should be developed within a clearly defined national trajectory to 2050. “It is imperative that these targets will recognise the substantial contribution already made by certain counties,” Murray says. Achieving this will require collaboration between the Regional Assemblies and equitable allocations reflecting both capacity and environmental considerations. “Offaly’s stance on this is consistent with the county’s strategic objectives of balancing the net zero ambition with securing economic and social dividends for Offaly’s citizens, together with proactively managing the biodiversity crisis,” says Eoghan Ryan.

At Offaly County Council’s request during the planning process, Bord na Móna developed a 10km amenity trail network at its Mount Lucas Wind Farm, which has since grown to include a Learning Hub, sensory space, and weekly parkrun.

economy while driving, and benefiting from, the energy transition,” Martin says. Offaly also incorporated the concept of Green Energy Parks into the County Development Plan in 2021.

Orla Martin, Head of Enterprise with the council says it is vital to build on this success.

These initiatives are delivering results. The Rhode Green Energy Park, owned by the North Offaly Development Fund, has helped attract interest in a significant adjacent Eco Energy Park proposed by BnM, with Amazon Web Services identified as a potential anchor investor.

“At the heart of Offaly’s strategy is a determination to convert its energy advantage into lasting social and economic benefits, creating employment opportunities and attracting investment,” she says.

“While, of course, the planning system has to ultimately decide on developments, the fact that multinationals such as AWS have expressed an interest in the county is very promising,” says Ryan.

Supporting this goal, the Council commissioned studies on eco-industrial parks, renewable energy and hydrogen integration, large energy and data-centre opportunities.

Similarly, partnerships involving Google, Lumcloon Energy, South Korea’s Hanwha Energy and KEPCO delivering battery and CO2 storage and supercapacitor technologies highlight Offaly’s growing appeal as a clean-energy hub and a destination for investment where renewable energy is a key consideration.

Securing the economic dividend

“These reports send a clear message to potential investors that Offaly is committed to future-proofing its

“While we recognise that many of these developments do not create significant additional jobs, we are mindful of the Government’s position that the ICT sector, AI, and data centres are a vital part of Ireland’s industrial base. For many large developments, grid security and access to local clean energy are key considerations and we want to play a major role in that,” adds Ryan. The Council stresses that opportunities extend beyond data centres. Nextgeneration manufacturing, logistics, food processing and other energy-intensive industries could also benefit from Offaly’s combination of available land, clean energy, strong grid infrastructure, water resources, and a skilled workforce. Crucially, the Council’s proactive STEM programme engages over 3,000 students and 250 teachers annually, equipping the next generation with the skills required for future careers.

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Offaly’s current ‘pipeline’ of renewable and other energy developments, its Wind Energy Development Areas and its Peatland and Nature Corridors.

Host communities and legacy projects Murray acknowledges that while citizens support both climate action and economic development, communities must feel that they are benefiting from the transition. “Communities in Offaly are ‘hosting’ a significant number of large energy projects. We must not forget that. Our communities need to be protected and developed. Many experienced substantial job losses when peat-fired electricity generation ended in 2020, some seven to 10 years earlier than expected.” The county has already demonstrated an appetite for innovation. Working with EnergyCloud Ireland, AWS, ESB, and EirGrid, excess renewable electricity is converted into free hot water for social housing residents within the Tullamore Decarbonisation Zone, helping to tackle energy poverty. In another significant initiative, the council commissioned a study by consultants BDO to develop a model whereby community benefit funding from Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) projects can be ‘pooled’ and administered through an independent,

community-led company. The objective is to support large-scale and ‘legacy’ projects while still retaining the smaller grant schemes typically associated with these schemes. According to Murray the council’s executive recognised some years ago that there could be up to 25 RESS-supported projects in Offaly over the next 20 years “and we felt compelled to ensure that ‘legacy’ projects are delivered for communities”.

A ‘reasonable balance’ Since its first Wind Energy Strategy in 2009, Offaly’s approach has been guided by the objective of achieving a ‘reasonable balance’ between renewables and environmental protection, as set out in objective CAEO 03 of the County Development Plan. This concept was drawn from the Government’s 2006 Wind Energy Guidelines and has remained central to three successive County Development Plans. This fundamental principle has become increasingly important as Offaly seeks to balance its renewable energy success with biodiversity, heritage, landscape, tourism, and community objectives. In 2021, the council introduced, and in 2026 strengthened, provisions relating to

two Peatland and Nature corridors, located within areas otherwise open to wind energy development. Murray states: “These corridor areas are significant and necessary in the wider context of the county’s substantial renewable energy pipeline and the sustainable and balanced future growth of the county.” The Corridors are intended to provide a strategic counterbalance to renewable energy development while supporting biodiversity restoration, recreation, active travel, and tourism objectives. “We really need to do this while remaining firmly focused on delivering the country’s Climate Action Plan. We believe our record shows that we can. Offaly has many objectives beyond renewable energy, and it all comes back to achieving a ‘reasonable balance’. We must remember that on the same day Dáil Éireann declared a climate emergency, a biodiversity crisis was also declared,” states Murray. Ryan views these corridors as particularly relevant in the context of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Nature Restoration Regulation. “The Peatland and Nature Corridors recognise the biodiversity significance of post-

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Lough Boora Discovery Park, County Offaly is an example of a regenerative cutaway bog which has become an attractive landscape asset, delivering nature restoration, recreation, and climate benefits.

industrial cutaway bogs for biodiversity in an evolving mosaic of habitats that are tailor-made for these Regulations,” he says. The corridors are also expected to enhance visitor experiences linked to ‘peatway’ routes, the Midlands Cycling Destination Offaly routes, walking networks, BnM, and Fáilte Ireland’s Strategic Trails and various tourism initiatives across the county. These corridors will be an exemplar in balancing renewable energy success with landscape protection and restoration, biodiversity, amenity and community development, working in tandem with Offaly’s ~2GW renewables pipeline and its approach to achieve a reasonable balance, in place since 2009.

RED III and renewables acceleration Looking ahead, Offaly believes its substantial renewable energy contribution must be recognised when decisions are being made on renewable acceleration areas under RED III. “In truth, with a ~2GW renewables ‘pipeline’, we are already an exemplar,” says Murray.

He adds: “However, there must be a strong sense of balance in how RED III allocations are allocated to the county under the Regional Renewable Energy Strategy (RRES) for the EMRA region. On its current trajectory, Offaly is likely to account for approximately 40 per cent of the entire NPF/EMRA target for wind energy to 2030. Increasing this through the RRES would be a retrograde step away from Offaly’s approach since 2009; would be inequitable; would be contrary to the principles of the Just Transition; and would compromise the achievement of other council objectives.” The Council asserts that its record demonstrates strong support for renewable energy, delivered through a carefully managed and balanced planning framework. Murray concludes: “I am satisfied that our approach remains consistent with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act. Offaly exceeded the

County Development Plan 2021-2027 target of 466MW in early 2026 and is also expected to exceed its solar energy target. I am confident that our next county development plan can continue this positive and balanced approach in response to the climate crisis, while also having due regard to the needs of our communities, the landscape, nature conservation, and biodiversity.” Offaly’s experience demonstrates that ambitious climate action, economic development, community benefit and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive. The county’s challenge is to maintain that balance while continuing to make an exceptional contribution to Ireland’s renewable energy future.

W: www.offalycoco.ie

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Ireland’s energy transition: Past and future Brian Ó Gallachóir, associate vice president of sustainability and director of the Sustainability Institute at University College Cork, reflects on Ireland’s energy transition over the past 30 years and looks ahead to the next 30. Demonstrating the implications of geopolitical events on oil prices, Ó Gallachóir outlines that the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and 2026 US and Israeli attacks on Iran led to spikes. “If you have a high dependence on oil, your economy and your society is exposed to the vulnerability of not knowing what is next, but you can anticipate that there will be at least periods of very high oil prices,” says Ó Gallachóir. He asserts that the Strait of Hormuz disruption has been labelled the largest energy security event in history by the International Energy Agency. This is due to the quantity of oil

trapped in the strait which is estimated to be up to 20 million barrels per day. Ó Gallachóir says this “dwarfs the oil supply restrictions that we faced in the 1970s”. However, he says the context is very different. In the west, mechanisms such as strategic oil reserves are in place today which were not during the 1970s. Ó Gallachóir says this has enabled the west to “cushion the blow”. “But many countries in the east are facing much more significant impacts of the current oil supply disruption than we are,” he adds. Ó Gallachóir says there are regular discussions on the economic impact of net zero strategies, but that there are less

discussions on the economic impacts of climate change. Climate change incurred estimated economic losses in the EU of €822 billion between 1980 and 2024. Of these losses, around 25 per cent (€208 billion) occurred between 2021 and 2024. Ó Gallachóir outlines that fossil fuels accounted for 83 per cent of Ireland’s energy mix in 2025 while renewable energy accounted for 17 per cent. He says: “When you see our energy supply mix as it currently stands against the context of energy price changes and the economic losses from climate change, there is an element of apparent madness in that.”

Energy transition accelerating However, Ó Gallachóir indicates that this is changing and reflects on energy supply trends by fuel over the last 30 years. During the Celtic Tiger, energy supply grew, while the economic recession led to a reduction in energy supply. Between 2015 and 2025, total energy supply has not grown significantly but the share of renewable energy has increased. Ó Gallachóir asserts that the energy transition “is very clearly underway” and has “really accelerated in the last 10 years”. He adds that fossil fuel usage has reduced by 29 per cent from its peak in 2008.

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“When you see our energy supply mix as it currently stands against the context of energy price changes and the economic losses from climate change, there is an element of apparent madness in that.”

The energy expert explains that energy demand has also changed significantly over this period. Since 1995, demand for both electricity and transport energy has doubled while heat usage has reduced. Ó Gallachóir says the Celtic Tiger period saw significant growth in transport, while reductions were observed “all over” during the recession. He says the International Energy Agency has labelled the current period as “the age of electricity”.

Reducing emissions The Sustainability Institute director says an increased policy focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the economy has driven many recent changes. This is demonstrated by the Climate Change Act 2021 which set a target to reduce emissions by 51 per cent by 2030 relative to 2018 levels. It also established the five-yearly carbon budgets. Ó Gallachóir notes that the first carbon budget period is over, stating that finalised data will not be available until March 2027. He shared recent EPA estimates of GHG emissions for the carbon budget period 2021-2025 that were 294 MtCO2eq, which suggests the State has met its first carbon

renewable energy magazine budget. However, Ó Gallachóir states that this challenges the common perception that the State is set to exceed the first carbon budget. Continuing, he says that between 2018 and 2025, there has been a 15 per cent reduction in emissions. Ó Gallachóir says: “While we met the first carbon budget, our emissions reduction should be higher, it should be at about 23 per cent in order for Ireland to be on that trajectory for a 51 per cent reduction.” He notes that this reduction has been achieved as the economy has increased by 36 per cent and the population has grown by 12 per cent. While he states that this is not enough to meet the 2030 targets, he says the 15 per cent reduction and meeting the first carbon budget are “very significant” achievements and evidence that the transition is underway. Between 2005 when emissions peaked and 2025, overall GHG emissions have reduced by 28 per cent. Electricity emissions reduced by 58 per cent, which Ó Gallachóir describes as a “real breakthrough”. He says “there is a lot of system inertia” within transport which achieved an 11 per cent reduction. Additionally, heating achieved a 30 per cent reduction, while there was a 1 per cent reduction in agriculture. Although there has been progress, Ó Gallachóir asserts that there is “such a long journey to go”, adding that fossil fuels continue to dominate the State’s energy mix. He says that achieving the 2050 target depends on the actions of politicians, society, and the energy industry. “There is a huge amount of moving parts required to do that. But when you consider the costs that we are facing associated with our vulnerability of fossil fuels and the growing costs associated with dealing with climate change, it is a very significant prize. “A whole-of-society effort is required to achieve this, but the benefits are hugely significant.”

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Helping Irish SMEs become more sustainable Launching the €250 million Impact Lending Fund and NovaUCD PTSB Energy Futures Accelerator Programme were (L-R): Liam Cronin, Director of Innovation, UCD; Leontia Fannin, PTSB Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer; and Patrick Farrell, PTSB Chief Retail Banking Officer.

Cathal Lydon, Business Banking Manager at PTSB, outlines how SMEs in Ireland increasingly see sustainability not just as a responsibility, but as a commercial opportunity. According to PTSB’s Reflecting Business 2026 research, over seven-in10 Irish businesses are targeting sustainability opportunities for commercial growth, a significant increase on 2025 (72 per cent v 28 per cent). The research shows a parallel surge in businesses planning energy efficiency upgrades and other sustainability initiatives as SMEs respond to recent global energy price shocks (62 per cent v 33 per cent in 2025). PTSB has responded to these market changes and increased SME demand for sustainability-related finance by launching a €250 million Impact Lending Fund in July 2026. The fund provides finance for business customers investing in projects that deliver positive environmental or social benefits to society. The Impact Lending Fund is available to support businesses across a range of

environmental and social sectors including: •

sustainable energy;

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sustainable agriculture;

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healthcare; and

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female entrepreneurship.

SMEs which meet the criteria for the fund can make an application, subject to normal credit terms and conditions. The fund will lend to a wide range of environmental or social projects including investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency measures, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable transport.

Renewable energy financing PTSB is committed to playing an active role in Ireland’s transition to a lowercarbon economy. This transition will require continued investment in

About: Cathal Lydon

renewable generation and the infrastructure supporting it. The bank is providing tailored project finance solutions to developers and investors across Ireland’s renewable energy sector. Recent projects supported by PTSB include: •

Voltclub: A 12MW solar farm development in County Cork.

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Killaskillen Solar Farm (Grange Solar): A 15MW solar farm in County Meath under a Corporate Power Purchase Agreement with Breedon Cement.

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Doro Renewables: Acquisition of a 15MW six-turbine wind farm in County Wexford.

PTSB NovaUCD new partnership To support the next wave of Irish startups as they maximise sustainability growth opportunities, PTSB has partnered with NovaUCD to deliver a new Energy Futures Accelerator Programme. The programme will open for applications in Q4 2026 and will provide financial advisory and mentoring support to early-stage Irish companies operating in climate technology and renewable energy, helping them to grow and scale.

For further information, contact: E: cathal.lydon@ptsb.ie

Cathal Lydon is a Business Banking Manager at PTSB. Through the delivery of its Sustainability Strategy, PTSB is committed to supporting SMEs and businesses to grow sustainably, while providing finance to projects that deliver positive environmental and social outcomes in communities across Ireland. 27

National Retrofitting Conference 2026 Tuesday 24 November · The Johnstown Estate, Co. Meath Sponsored by

In partnership with

The National Retrofitting Conference, now in its sixth year, will convene key players involved in the Government’s ambitious area-based, one-stop-shop approach to retrofitting. The objective of the conference is to discuss progress to date and to share any learning from the implementation of the programme. It is also relevant to those organisations that may be interested in getting involved.

Speakers include: Ciaran Byrne, Director of National Retrofit Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Catherine Lonergan Director of Customer and Commercial Bord Gáis Energy

Brian Carroll Assistant Secretary Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment

Susan Vickers Head of Environmental Sustainability Clúid Housing

Eamonn Brownlee Head of National Retrofit Programmes SSE Airtricity

Dara Stewart Head of Delivery Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Paul Grennan Team Lead Tuath Building Services Lenny Antonelli Project Manager Irish Green Building Council Deirdre Duffy CEO Friends of the Earth

Exhibition opportunities available! There are a limited number of opportunities for interested organisations to partner with the conference as an exhibitor. This is an excellent way for organisations to raise their profile with a key audience of senior decision-makers and stakeholders from across Ireland. For more information on packages available at the event contact us on 01 661 3755 or email rebecca.sterritt@energyireland.ie

By email

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www.retrofitconference.ie

info@energyireland.ie

+353 (0) 1 661 3755

Our multidisciplinary team of environmental scientists, ecologists, and engineers bring extensive experience in assessing renewable energy developments in line with regulatory and environmental requirements. We provide expert advice and endto-end support, from initial technical assessments and feasibility studies through to AA/E&P/EIA/SEA management and the wider planning process.

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Accelerating the European transition to net zero Catherine Vilquin, president of the European Council of Spatial Planners – Conseil européen des urbanistes (ECTP-CEU) – outlines that all EU member states and partner states are experiencing increasing pressure on soil, with about 1.26 million hectares of land converted to urban use between 2000 and 2018. Vilquin explains that the role of spatial planners has expanded in recent years. She defines its purpose as: “Working for the common good of all living forms while ensuring climate and social justice, and delivering positive environmental impact.” She traces how the aim of spatial planning has evolved, stating that it was formerly about reducing the negative environmental impact of projects and that it is now about delivering a positive environmental impact when delivering projects.

Vilquin says spatial planning is taking a regenerative design approach, adding: “This is going above sustainability. It is aimed at delivering positive environmental impacts, not just breaking even.” Spatial planners are also focusing on reducing land take and land consumption with a goal of no net land take by 2050. Vilquin states that this is a “very short period of time”. She also explains that production in cities must transition from linear to circular.

“Nature has a cultural value for citizens. Studies also show that access to nature is crucial for citizens’ mental health.” Vilquin outlines that the 3/30/300 rule can enable this access to nature. The rule stipulates that each citizen be able to see three trees from their home, that each neighbourhood have 30 per cent tree canopy coverage, and that each citizen’s home be within 300 metres of a green space. She outlines the multiple responsibilities spatial planners have including regeneration of nature, recycling of materials, and redevelopment of brownfield sites amongst others. Additionally, spatial planners are responsible for enabling co-living, coownership, and co-decision-making. “If projects we are assigned do not fit these criteria, we should not do it and we should not promote it. In such cases, we should work to convince the private developer or public bodies that they need to alter their approach,” says Vilquin. Vilquin indicates that environmental policymaking should extend beyond the boundaries of urban areas, for example to the scale of a catchment area. She presents a map of the Vesdre Valley in east Belgium which was flooded in 2021. Over 15 per cent of the residential building stock in the area was affected. Vilquin presents the strategic plan being devised for the area’s reconstruction. It was determined that management of agricultural land and forests would have to be approached differently to protect the area against future flood risk. The spatial planner states that she views cities as living organisms. She says cities’ soils, water, and greenery must be healthy to ensure citizens live in positive environments. Vilquin adds that failing to ensure cities remain healthy leads to destruction similar to what was seen in Vesdre Valley in 2021.

Providing examples of best practice in ensuring healthy cities, she identifies Reims in France as a model for rainwater absorption. The city has been desealing land to maximise the volume of water infiltrating the ground for collection and reuse.

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Along with considering the environmental implications of projects, she says it is important to consider how nature interfaces with society. She says: “We focus too much on creating nature spaces in cities because it delivers ecosystemic benefits, we also need to provide nature spaces with the aim of benefitting nature itself.

She points to Liège in Belgium as an example of a city managing greenery effectively. Liège has identified the tree coverage per neighbourhood and areas where the most heat island effect is observed. It has developed a strategic plan identifying how trees should be replanted.

No net land take Outlining the negative impact of land take and its resulting soil sealing, Vilquin says it leads to a loss of biodiversity and fragmentation of habitats and can affect agriculture and forestry. It also leads to the consumption of a nonrenewable resource in soil and exacerbates vulnerabilities of territories such as increased heat island effects and floods. Additionally, urban sprawl results in increased demand for transport, and thus energy. “It is very clear that it is important to stop urban sprawl and land consumption,” says Vilquin. She explains that this means cities must be made more compact and dense. The spatial planner indicates that no net land take strategies will need to be developed in each EU member states and that they will differ between regions due to differences between economies, demographics, and characteristics of the physical territory. Vilquin says planners must begin rejecting applications that move in contrary to the 2050 goal. She says: “This is how we stop urban sprawl and readjust urbanisation. It will take time to convince politicians, citizens, and private owners of the benefits.” Concluding, she says: “We must work together and make a strategic plan for the coming 25 years. This is the challenge we are now facing and that every country in Europe should address because 2050 is tomorrow.”

The next wave of Ireland’s energy transition renewable energy magazine

fully operational since 2025 and can generate enough clean electricity to power around 375,000 homes while offsetting 400,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. ESB also holds a 50 per cent stake in the 1.1 GW Inch Cape wind farm under construction off the Scottish coast. Developed in partnership with Red Rock Renewables, this is one of the UK’s largest offshore projects and reached financial close in early 2025, securing £3.5 billion in financing. Having been involved since the early stages of development, ESB has gained significant experience across the offshore project lifecycle, from development and financing through to construction and operations.

Wind turbines at Neart na Gaoithe, ESB and EDF Renewables’ wind farm off the Scottish coast.

By 2050, Ireland is expected to need over 2.5 times the electricity it uses today. As we work towards decarbonising our economy and growing our energy security, clean homegrown electricity will be required not only to keep the lights on, but to power transport, heating, and industry. Meeting this demand means rapidly upscaling renewable energy, including unlocking the long-promised potential of offshore wind.

this technology at home as part of its commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

The winds around Ireland’s coast are among the strongest and most consistent in Europe. The first national Climate Action Plan in 2019 set the course for the delivery of large-scale offshore generation, and development is now entering a critical phase.

Building foundations across the water

Competitive auctions have procured around 4 GW of capacity off the island’s coasts (one-fifth of the Government’s 20 GW by 2040 target), and planning and consenting continue at pace for the first phase of Irish Sea projects. ESB is at the forefront of this next wave in Ireland’s energy transition. Building on offshore experience gained in Great Britain, it has ambitious plans to deliver

ESB’s offshore wind journey began in 2018 with the acquisition of a stake in the Galloper wind farm off the southeast coast of England, as the project entered commercial operations. The investment provided ESB with its first direct exposure to the sector and laid the foundation for a growing renewable portfolio. In 2019, ESB acquired a 50 per cent stake in the Neart na Gaoithe offshore windfarm from EDF Renewables shortly before construction commenced. Located off the coast of Fife in Scotland, the 450 MW project has been

“This experience in the UK has been invaluable in strengthening ESB’s expertise and credentials in a highly specialised and competitive sector,” explains Rosemary Kennnedy, Investment Manager at ESB’s Generation Trading business. “Building and growing our offshore wind portfolio has enhanced investor confidence in ESB, strengthening our supply chain relationships and positioning us strongly to apply these learnings as we help develop Ireland’s offshore industry.”

Riding a new wave in Ireland’s south-east Building on its offshore experience in Great Britain, ESB has been applying valuable lessons in Ireland. In 2019 the company partnered with Parkwind on the Oriel Offshore Wind Farm off the coast of Louth, which is expected to become Ireland’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm since Arklow Bank phase one was commissioned in 2004. A further milestone was achieved in late 2025 when ESB and its joint venture partner Ørsted secured development rights for the Tonn Nua site off Ireland’s south-east coast through the State’s second offshore wind auction under the Offshore Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (ORESS).

Tonn Nua is the first project to progress under Ireland’s new plan-led system. Located off the Waterford coast within the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP), it will be capable of delivering around 900 MW of renewable energy, enough to power almost one million homes and save up to 1.8 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. The project will connect to the national grid through offshore cables and onshore substations, with EirGrid responsible for delivering the offshore and onshore transmission infrastructure.

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“We are at an early stage of the project and our immediate focus is on developing a thorough understanding of the site,” says Moira Walsh, Project Director for Tonn Nua. “Surveys will provide information needed to inform engineering design and turbine layout, as well as important environmental data on birds, marine life, and seabed habitats to inform our impact assessments. Throughout this work and beyond, we will continue to engage openly with coastal communities, fisheries, and other sea users as the project develops.” Subject to factors such as planning consent, grid connection, and delivery of enabling infrastructure, the project is targeting operation by 2034.

Partnering with local communities Collaboration with coastal communities is vital along this journey, and ESB’s experience in the UK has shown how offshore development can benefit local areas. Neart na Gaoithe, for example, has contributed around £200 million to the economy through local supply chains, and its operations and maintenance base has provided 50 high quality jobs for ongoing management. In Ireland’s south-east, Tonn Nua will support the development of a regional offshore wind industry, creating opportunities for ports, local businesses, supply chain companies, and skills development. The project is also expected to provide a community benefit fund of about €120 million over 20 years to support local initiatives.

Navigating challenges As with any infrastructure project of this scale, challenges can arise around planning and consenting, connecting the wind farm to the wider electricity grid, or port infrastructure – with investment needed to ensure Ireland’s ports can handle turbine components,

Members of ESB board and executive team at Neart na Gaoithe in 2024.

heavy lifting operations, storage, assembly, and ongoing operational work. Offshore projects can also feel the force of geopolitical headwinds in the form of rising inflation or supply chain crunches. “Managing cost uncertainty over a lengthy development and construction period is one of the biggest challenges for any offshore wind project around the world,” says Kennedy. While the ORESS framework largely fixes revenues, delivery costs can be affected by factors like inflation, supply chain pressures, financing costs, and delays. “Our success is determined by our ability to manage those risks while maintaining affordability.”

Full speed ahead Despite these challenges, this next wave in Ireland’s energy transition is set to be truly transformative. “Ireland is fortunate to have this exceptional wind resource just off our shores,” concludes Walsh. “It is an exciting moment for everyone working in the sector. By working together across industry, government, and communities, we can turn that potential into a lasting source of clean, secure energy, and long-term value for generations to come.”

W: www.esb.ie

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Solar progressing The rollout of solar energy continues through 2026, with 3GW of installed capacity from rooftop solar to utility scale solar farms. Despite the progress, reaching the 2030 Climate Action Plan target of 8GW remains a tall order. In August 2026, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment announced that Installed capacity for solar energy from rooftop solar to utilityscale solar farms passes 3GW throughout the State. On the same day, the Department confirmed that peak output from utilityscale solar farms reached a new record of 1.3GW, meeting over one-third of national electricity demand on the grid at that time. The Department states that solar “is now a key pillar of our electricity supply, and continues to grow at pace”.

one-third of the State’s total dispatchable electricity generation at that time.

development of solar energy from households, communities, and largescale developments.

In addition, it has been confirmed that over 200,000 homes across the State have installed solar panels, while over 120,000 homes have received solar PV grants since the PV support scheme began.

Minister O’Brien says: “The successful solar growth in Ireland has been underpinned by clear government policy and targeted support schemes and measures. Through initiatives such as the Solar PV grant, and our various renewable electricity support schemes, solar deployment is supported at every scale. We are committed to funding the solar PV grant for the lifetime of this government, up until 2030.

SEAI states that it received over 31,000 applications for Solar PV in 2026, by the halfway point of the year in July 2026. This is a 76 per cent increase on the same period in 2025.

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien TD stated that the rollout of solar energy “continues to accelerate at pace”.

Furthermore, free solar panels have been provided to 2,000 schools across Ireland. Where excess energy is produced, it can be sold into the grid under microgeneration.

In August 2026, Ireland set a new record for peak output from utility-scale solar farms on the national grid. On the week commencing 24 August 2026, generation from utility-scale solar farms on the grid surpassed 1.3GW, supplying

Government schemes such as the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS), and the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), incentivise the

“Looking at renewable electricity as a whole, we now have over 8GW of generation capacity connected to the network. To put that into perspective, we have added approximately 5GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity in just 10 years. That includes a doubling of our wind energy capacity, along with establishing a strong solar energy supply. Just over 10 years ago there were 2MW of solar in Ireland. Now, there are over 3,000MW.”

Sustainability must be embedded in infrastructure development The challenge

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As the investment in energy infrastructure grows, so too does the demand for materials such as steel, aluminium, copper and concrete. These materials are crucial for substations and renewable energy projects, providing the durability and reliability to support modern energy systems. However, the demand on natural resources and often the energy intensity of production can significantly contribute to a projects overall carbon footprint.

Embedding sustainability in delivery

In 2026, Ireland reached a major milestone by achieving 8GW of onshore renewable electricity generation, and over the last 10 years Ireland has doubled the wind energy capacity. We are witnessing the clean energy transition in real time, as investment, innovation and collaboration come together to shape how we generate energy and deliver lasting benefits for communities, economies and the environment. At H&MV Engineering, we are proud to part of this green transition. Sustainability is not just an ambition for us, it is a core value that informs every decision we make. Operating at the heart of the energy sector, we are uniquely positioned to contribute to a more sustainable world by delivering the infrastructure needed to facilitate the transition to renewable energy.

Renewable energy H&MV Engineering deliver specialised high-voltage electrical engineering and infrastructure and is playing a critical role in enabling Ireland’s renewable energy future. By designing and delivering the infrastructure that underpins wind, solar, battery storage and interconnection projects. H&MV Engineering is helping to create an energy system that is resilient, scalable, and fit for purpose. We are committed to an integrated approach, ensuring that the transition to a lowcarbon system is supported by equally low-carbon business practices.

As we deliver positive impacts to communities, it is important to mitigate negative impact to the environment. H&MV Engineering is seizing the opportunity to rethink how infrastructure is designed and built, by delivering our projects through innovative thinking, sustainable and lean design principles, reduced carbon materials, and fostering genuine collaboration with our value chain partners to create sustainable outcomes through a collective and aligned approach.

Sustainable design and operations As the industry continues to develop, we embrace the emergence of low-carbon materials, alternative fuels, electrification of equipment, lean operations, and other opportunities for continuous improvement. We endeavour to eliminate waste at the source and are integrating sustainable design principles across all aspects of our operations to reduce our environmental impact and promote longterm sustainability and resilience. We empower our colleagues, value chain, clients, and our business partners to make positive sustainable changes, wherever they act.

W: www.hmvengineering.com

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Building on success Brendan Kelly, Head of Commercial at BnM, talks to Owen McQuade about the growing importance of electrification to the Irish economy, BnM’s 1GW of operational renewable energy projects, and its plans to develop a further 6.5GW of generation to support this need. 36

The challenges facing the electricity sector, including planning and grid connections, are well documented. However, focusing on the significant progress the sector has made over the past three decades, Brendan Kelly says: “When you look across other sectors of the Irish economy, such as transport, agriculture, and heating, electricity is very much leading the way. “There are certainly challenges for the sector, such as accommodating and efficiently connecting new generation and demand, but the reality is that the electricity sector has halved its emissions over the last decade, while electricity demand has doubled over the last two decades. That is a phenomenal achievement when compared to other sectors of the economy.” Kelly acknowledges that the sector has had some challenges recently in terms of the pace of connection of new renewable projects but expects activity to pick up pace. He highlights recent planning changes, including the shortening of the judicial review process and the enactment of Block C of the Planning and Development Act 2024. “This will significantly help infrastructure development in Ireland. In the past six months, we have received three very significant decisions for our own projects, some of which have been in the system for two years and are now being cleared. We are now seeing progress on the planning front.” Turning to the grid, Kelly says that it will take EirGrid and ESB Networks several

years to deliver the capital investment planned under PR6 (Price Review 6). “That is understandable, as it will take some time to ramp up to the scale of delivery, which is north of €18 billion over the five-year period. We will likely not see the full fruits of that investment into the 2030s, but there is now momentum building towards the level of infrastructure delivery required.” “From a BnM perspective, certainty on grid development is really important when we think about delivering our renewable pipeline. This is the overriding factor in terms of how fast we can deliver that. “Where we can, BnM can support the delivery of energy infrastructure and supporting infrastructure, such as grid connections, on our landbank. Our 80,000 hectare landbank, much of which is interconnected in nature, and ultimately owned by the State, can provide huge benefits in terms of the delivery of infrastructure. We also open up our landbank to public good activities such as new cycling networks, walkways, and other amenities. A great example of this is our Mountlucas wind farm, which attracts thousands of visitors and school groups each year. “Together with ESB, we have also just opened a new, multi-million euro visitor centre with a sensory garden at Oweninny Wind Farm in north Mayo.” BnM’s approach is to use its landbank strategically, combining renewable energy and enabling infrastructure with peatland restoration, biodiversity

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“The electricity sector has halved its emissions over the last six years, while electricity demand has doubled over the last two decades.” enhancement, and community amenities. Kelly says this allows the company to support both the decarbonisation of Ireland’s energy system and the longterm restoration of former industrial lands. “Earlier this year, we reviewed our overall land bank and increased our pipeline by 1GW to a total of 7.5GW. That 7.5GW includes 1GW in operation and an additional prospective 6.5GW that could ultimately be delivered in time, if and when the grid is delivered to meet it. “The projects span a range of technologies, including wind, solar, additional thermal generation, and battery storage” Kelly says. Storage will also play a role in supporting the future energy system. BnM has recently submitted a planning application for what would be its first long-duration energy storage (LDES) battery, at its Derrinlough Wind Farm site in County Offaly. “That is an eight-hour 75MW battery storage project. We now have about two years of operational experience with a three-hour battery at Cloncreen, and we see the growing need for batteries with a longer duration to support the rollout of renewables in Ireland.”

Energy Park BnM has been at the forefront of the Energy Park concept for some time, which sensibly involves co-locating a combination of generation technologies, including wind, solar and battery storage, with large industrial demand.

renewable energy magazine At its M6 Energy Park in County Offaly, BnM secured planning permission this summer for the 710MW Derrygreenagh Power project and associated 400kV grid infrastructure. The project comprises a 570MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) and a 140MW open cycle gas turbine (OCGT). Having secured planning consent, BnM hopes to move the project into its next phase of development. “The overall project is being built in response to this very clear need: to connect a mix of renewable and firm power technologies to meet grid demands at any time of day or year. This is about helping to maintain security of electricity supply in the first instance, but it will also help Ireland transition to a low-carbon economy in line with Climate Action Plan objectives.” BnM’s wider Energy Park model is designed to unlock the value of its landbank and energy infrastructure by creating strategically located sites that can support future industrial development in the Midlands.

Deploying renewables at scale “The evolution of technology has also had a significant impact on the energy system. The cost reductions in energy technologies over the past 20 years have been phenomenal, with the cost of solar panels and batteries falling dramatically to the point where they are now being deployed at scale,” Kelly says.

This is reflected in the Government’s next energy white paper, due to be published in 2027 which will focus on electricity, as opposed to the whole energy system. BnM is already playing a significant role in powering the electricity sector and continues to add to its 1GW portfolio with a number of projects under development and construction.

It is now common for many homes to have solar panels and batteries. An electric vehicle in Ireland is currently four-six times cheaper to run than an internal combustion engine vehicle. “It is not a question of if we will see the end of the internal combustion engine, but when we will see it.”

One notable example is the third phase of Oweninny Wind Farm, which will comprise 18 turbines with a projected output of approximately 100MW, adding to what is already Ireland’s largest onshore wind farm. Kelly again highlights how technological development has shaped the project.

These trends are increasing the importance of the electricity industry and form part of a wider move towards the electrification of transport and heating. Coupled with growing electricity demand from ICT and other sectors, this has increased reliance on the electricity sector to power a modern economy.

The neighbouring Bellacorick Wind Farm, Ireland’s first commercial wind farm, was decommissioned earlier this year following the removal of its 21 turbines. BnM estimates that just one of the 18 turbines planned for Oweninny Phase 3 could generate as much energy as all 21 of the Bellacorick turbines combined.

Although the new turbines are structurally similar to the original turbines, their tip height has increased from 80 metres to 200 metres. When completed, the Oweninny complex will produce one billion units of electricity each year, equivalent to around 3 per cent of Ireland’s overall electricity demand and 11 per cent of residential demand.

The substation will be completed in 2027, with the turbines coming online in 2028. BnM has a further 1,000MW in the planning system, consisting mostly of wind farm developments. “We have really ramped up our development activities in the past 12 to 18 months and we are hoping that the grid development will match the pace at which these projects come out of the planning system. The biggest project is the 350MW Ballydermot wind farm in Kildare and Offaly, which will go into planning in October 2026,” Kelly says. BnM deploys a strategic partnership and joint venture approach to its projects where appropriate. One of its key joint ventures is with SSE Renewables, targeting up to 800MW of new onshore wind projects. Solar projects are being developed in partnership with ESB through a codevelopment agreement to deliver largescale solar projects across Offaly and Kildare, utilising BnM’s strategic land bank.

Future Looking to the future, Kelly sees the Government’s forthcoming white paper as pivotal to the trajectory of the electricity system. He will be closely involved in the consultation process, engaging with government in his role as Chair of the Electricity Association of Ireland. The Energy White Paper in 2008 effectively signalled the end of coal and peat as generation sources in the Irish

energy mix. Kelly believes the next government white paper will be equally important in shaping Ireland’s energy future. “It is really important for the industry to engage now with the white paper consultation process and to highlight not only all the different challenges, hurdles and bottlenecks, but also the technologies and policies that need to be put in place to get us to 2050. “From a BnM perspective, we need to deliver our wind, solar, and battery projects over the coming years. We know these technologies well and the challenge now will be to deliver them.

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As part of the project, BnM sought to de-risk the grid connection by building and energising the substation before constructing the turbines. This was intended to avoid a situation faced by some developers in the past, where turbines were completed but could then wait up to two years for a grid connection.

“It is not a question of if we will see the end of the internal combustion engine, but when we will see it.” “The electricity sector has reduced its emissions from 12 million tonnes of CO2 to six million tonnes over the last six years. We now need to focus on how we get that down to two million tonnes. “The questions we then need to ask are how do we get that down from two million tonnes to zero, what is the cost of doing that and is the technology available for it? “Also would it be better to invest that money in reducing the emissions of other sectors? That is a question we need to ask ourselves in the debate over the next 12 months,” he concludes.

Profile: Brendan Kelly, Head of Commercial, BnM Brendan Kelly holds a degree in electrical engineering from UCD. He joined EirGrid in 2010, working across operations and planning, before moving to Smart Wires Inc., where he worked with Utilities across EMEA and subsequently in North America. Returning to Ireland in 2021, he joined BnM as commercial manager, working on renewable energy projects. In 2025, he joined the Executive Team as Head of Commercial, overseeing planning, development, investment, technology, and regulation. Outside of work, his young family keeps him busy alongside his keen interest in sport - being a veteran marathon and half marathon runner and a former GAA county player with his native Westmeath.

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How geopolitics is shaping our energy future The global energy sector is facing a period of greater geopolitical uncertainty, rising costs, and political volatility, with policymakers struggling to balance longterm energy investment with the short-termism driving political decision-making, according to Malcolm Moore, Energy Editor of the Financial Times. Malcolm Moore identifies three key features of the global energy sector. He says that politics “moves faster than the energy sector”, citizens and consumers want costs to reduce, and that things are going to get worse before they get better. His central argument is that political change is increasingly outpacing the ability of the energy system to respond. The sector operates on “investment horizons measured in decades”, while governments can “change direction within a single electoral cycle”. Moore points to the US Government’s reversal of the Inflation Reduction Act, changes in the UK’s approach to Chinese investment in nuclear power, and continuing uncertainty around the Jackdaw and Rosebank projects.

He says that the challenge is that companies have “made investment decisions and allocated capital only for the politics to turn against them”. This volatility is occurring alongside a succession of major disruptions to the energy system. Moore points to the post-Paris Agreement push for decarbonisation, the gas crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the return of inflation and higher interest rates, US trade wars and anti-renewable rhetoric, and the war in Iran. “It has been a golden decade for energy traders, but it is rather less comfortable for those attempting to plan projects that have to generate returns over 30 years or more,” he says.

“The answer is not for the energy sector to speed up, but for politics to slow down.”

At the same time, governments are increasingly emphasising energy security, resilience, diversification, and national sovereignty. However, Moore argues that the energy system remains deeply globalised, not only through international oil and gas markets but through supply chains for magnets, solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, and transformers. “The energy sector is still living in the past, relying on globalisation while politicians are increasingly seeking to dismantle that system.”

Cost On cost, Moore outlines how governments have demonstrated twice, following the crises triggered by Ukraine and Iran, that their instinct is to intervene when energy prices rise sharply. “Business and consumers cannot bear any further economic pain, is the political instinct, resulting in subsidies and price caps rather than a longer-term focus on resilience.” The difficulty is that falling technology costs “do not necessarily mean a cheaper energy system”. Moore says costs are increasingly shifting towards the grid, planning, cybersecurity, physical security, resilience, and financing. He identifies three separate costs. The first is the transition cost, because the existing system must continue operating while new infrastructure is built. The second is the resilience cost, reflecting the spare capacity and redundancy needed to withstand shocks. The third is a political cost resulting from efforts to avoid dependence on cheaper suppliers, particularly China. These pressures are likely to make the transition “more difficult before conditions improve”. “The existing system has to remain reliable while its replacement is constructed, while electricity demand is simultaneously increasing because of AI, cooling, electric vehicles, and industry. “We are trying to reduce dependence on established suppliers before there are alternatives, while investment in fossil fuels is being discouraged despite continued dependence on them. The old system is becoming less investable, and the new system is not ready.” Moore therefore expects the energy transition to involve higher prices, more volatility, and higher financing costs, alongside project delays and political uncertainty.

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Malcolm Moore, Energy Editor, Financial Times

The Chinese model China provides an example of what this approach can look like. Moore, who spent eight years living in Shanghai and Beijing, says China places “geopolitics and security at the heart of its planning”, reducing its dependence on imported energy, building strategic reserves, and developing domestic capacity across the energy value chain. “We cannot copy the Chinese model, but we can learn some lessons. Among those lessons is whole-system thinking because energy investment is considered alongside national security and defence.” Moore also advocates for greater long-term planning, saying developers need confidence that projects will not be fundamentally altered from one electoral cycle to the next. “Nuclear power is one potential area for longer-term agreement in Europe, given the need for firm power and reduced dependence on Chinese supply chains. Meanwhile, the security debate could improve the economic case for biofuels, hydrogen, and e-fuels.” The FT editor argues that policymakers need to adopt a more realistic approach to the transition, with “fewer grand promises” and “more realism about the compromises” involved. Concluding, Moore says: “The answer is not for the energy sector to speed up, but for politics to slow down. We need a system that is secure, shockproof, and resilient to changing geopolitics while remaining affordable to the public.” Malcolm Moore is the Energy Editor of the Financial Times. Previously, he was Head of FT Edit, a foreign correspondent in Italy and China, and an editor on the UK and technology desks.

He argues that governments need to take a “more strategic approach to energy security”, identifying which parts of the system require protection and ensuring that capacity and supply chains are available when needed.

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At the official launch of College Group’s connection to the gas network (L-R) John Paul Gilroy, Commercial Director, College Group; Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD; and David Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Gas Networks Ireland.

From potential to progress: Ireland’s biomethane story in 2026 Ireland’s biomethane potential is well documented. A 2017 European Commission study identified Ireland as having the highest potential for biomethane production per capita in the EU1. Ireland has the world class biomethaneready 14,758km gas network, agricultural resources, organic feedstocks, and technical capability to develop a significant indigenous renewable gas industry. Despite these market advantages, Ireland remains significantly behind its European neighbours in terms of biomethane production but 2026 has seen real progress and Gas Networks Ireland continues to advocate for the nascent indigenous industry. This has been a year of tangible progress for biomethane, from connections to the gas network and innovative industrial applications, to major infrastructure investment that will enable producers located far from the

existing gas network to inject their renewable gas into it.

Mitchelstown CGI: Creating a new route for biomethane In October 2026, Gas Networks Ireland’s €32 million Central Grid Injection (CGI) facility in Mitchelstown, County Cork, was officially opened by Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD. The facility is designed to provide a new route to market for biomethane producers that are too far from the existing gas network to connect directly by pipeline. Rather than requiring every producer to build its own pipeline connection,

biomethane can be transported by trailer to Mitchelstown and injected into the national network from a central point, which is the CGI. With capacity to inject up to 700GWh of biomethane annually, Mitchelstown could accommodate the equivalent of approximately 12 per cent of the Government’s 2030 target of 5.7TWh of indigenous biomethane production and could deliver estimated emissions savings of around 130,000 tonnes of CO2 each year when fully operational. Speaking at the official opening of Gas Networks Ireland’s CGI facility in Mitchelstown, the Taoiseach said: “The opening of the Mitchelstown Central Grid Injection facility is an important milestone in Ireland’s renewable energy journey and in the development of our indigenous biomethane industry. “Ireland has set an ambitious target for biomethane production by 2030, and delivering the infrastructure to connect this renewable gas to our national network is a vital element in helping to achieve that goal.

1. European Commission (2017), Optimal use of biogas from waste streams: An assessment of the potential of biogas from digestion in the EU beyond 2020. 42

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Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD opens Gas Networks Ireland’s new €32 million biomethane CGI facility In Mitchelstown, pictured with Gas Networks Ireland’s CEO David Kelly.

“This investment also has the potential to create new economic opportunities in the agricultural sector, providing farmers and rural businesses with opportunities to diversify their income while contributing to our climate and energy security objectives.”

The Bia Energy connection: A first for Ireland August 2026 brought two landmark moments for Ireland’s biomethane industry. The first of these was when Gas Networks Ireland connected Bia Energy’s €90 million renewable biomethane facility at Huntstown, County Dublin, directly to the national gas network. Officially launched by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon TD, this marked the first time a biomethane production plant was directly connected to Ireland’s national gas network. The facility can produce up to 120GWh of biomethane annually at full capacity. Minister Heydon said: “The connection of Bia Energy’s anaerobic digestion facility at Huntstown represents a significant step forward in the development of Ireland's renewable gas sector. It demonstrates how agricultural and organic waste can be converted into a valuable renewable energy source, reducing emissions and enhancing energy security.

“The project also delivers benefits for agriculture through the production of digestate, which can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilisers, supporting more sustainable farming practices and a circular economy. Last month, the Government started issuing €19 million in funding to projects such as Bia Energy’s Huntstown facility that were successful under the 2024 Biomethane Capital Grant Scheme.” The facility demonstrates the circular benefits of anaerobic digestion. The biomethane production process also produces a digestate by-product which can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilisers. Bia Energy estimates that its Dublin facility alone will help replace approximately 3,000 tonnes of chemical fertiliser each year.

College Group: Circular economy in action Later in August 2026, Gas Networks Ireland connected College Group’s €30 million biomethane facility in Nobber, County Meath, to the national gas network.

circularity of biomethane in practice. The company is using some of the renewable gas to power its own operations and BioCNG vehicles, while also injecting biomethane into the national network. Minister McEntee described the project as a great example of the circular economy in action: “This facility is a great example of the circular economy in action, taking food and agri-food byproducts and transforming them into a valuable source of renewable energy. It is also an important investment in the local economy, supporting jobs and demonstrating that the transition to a lower-carbon economy can deliver real opportunities for communities across Ireland. “Projects such as this also have an important role to play in strengthening Ireland’s energy security. Producing more of our own renewable energy here in Ireland from resources generated within our own economy, means greater resilience and less reliance on imported energy.”

W: www.gasnetworks.ie/biomethane

Officially launched by Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee TD, the facility has the capacity to produce up to 75GWh of biomethane annually, transforming food and agrifood by-products into renewable gas. What makes College Group particularly interesting is how it demonstrates the

conference report

Energy Ireland Renewable Energy Summit 2026 Paul Lennon, ESB; Phil Hemmingway, CRU; Paula Rey Garcia, European Commission; Timmy Dooley TD, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; Conference Chair, Úna Nic Giolla Choille; and Brendan Kelly, BnM.

The 22nd Energy Ireland Renewable Energy Summit took place on 5 February 2026 at Croke Park, Dublin. Over 200 delegates attended the Summit which was sponsored by ESB, Gas Networks Ireland, BnM, EirGrid, and Bord Gáis Energy. Delegates in attendance heard from a top line-up of speakers, both visiting and local, from organisations including the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; European Commission; IEA; CRU; The Scottish Government; UCC; and E3G. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the 2026 conference sponsors, all speakers, exhibitors, and delegates who joined us at Croke Park, Dublin and made the conference a huge success.

Minister of State Timmy Dooley TD addresses delegates.

Delegate asking the Minister a question.

Kimberley Harris, Gas Networks Ireland and Anne Walsh, FuturEnergy Ireland.

Panel discussion with Philip Newsome, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; Muireann Lynch, Economic and Social Research Institute; Eoin Kennedy, EirGrid; Clive Bowers, ESB; and Therese Murphy, Cornwall Insight Ireland.

Paula Rey Garcia, European Commission addresses delegates.

Grant Quick Recovery Cylinders: Enabling low-carbon heating renewable energy magazine

The cylinders form part of Grant’s integrated heating offering which includes the award-winning Aerona R290 air source heat pump, Uflex underfloor heating, and Aerona Smart Controller. Together, these technologies can be designed and specified for a complete heating system, with each component matched to the requirements of the individual property. The Aerona R290 heat pump uses natural refrigerant R290, with a GWP of just 3, while intelligent controls support weather compensation and effective system management. Supporting this integrated approach is Grant’s free design and specification service. The company’s technical specialists carry out detailed room-byroom heat-loss calculations and specify the heat pump, hot water cylinder, heat emitters, and controls as part of a coordinated system.

L-R: Stephen Grant, founder, and Niall Fay, CEO, Grant.

Decarbonising Ireland’s buildings will require not only greater deployment of heat pumps, but a whole-system approach to heating, where technologies are correctly designed, sized, and specified to work together efficiently.

Scaling renewable and low-carbon heating will depend on effective system design and correctly matched components. By combining innovative heating technologies with professional design, specification, and technical expertise, Grant is helping support the transition towards more efficient, low carbon home heating in Ireland. Think Heating. Think Grant.

Grant’s new Quick Recovery Hot Water Cylinder range addresses an important part of this challenge by supporting efficient domestic hot water production in low-temperature heat pump systems. Heat pumps generally achieve their best performance at lower flow temperatures. However, conventional cylinders developed for higher-temperature systems may not provide the heattransfer capability required. This can result in slower recovery and reduced overall system efficiency. Grant has developed its Quick Recovery Cylinders specifically for lowtemperature heat pump systems. Each unit incorporates a large, high-surfacearea heat exchange coil constructed from DN25 stainless-steel tubing. By transferring energy efficiently from the heat pump to the stored water, the

design supports rapid recovery while helping the system maintain efficient operating conditions. Advanced insulation reduces standing heat loss, while the duplex stainlesssteel inner shell provides durability. Capacities from 150 to 300 litres allow storage to be matched to different property and demand profiles.

For more information on the Grant QR hot water cylinders and Grant’s innovative heating solutions, visit: W: www.grant.ie Facebook: @GrantIRL Instagram: @Grant_IRL LinkedIn: @GrantEngineeringULC YouTube: @GrantEngineeringIE

The Grant QR cylinder range is designed and manufactured in Ireland at the company’s headquarters in Birr, County Offaly, following an €8 million investment in the development of the range and expanded manufacturing facilities. This latest investment builds on Grant’s longstanding commitment to research, innovation, and manufacturing in Ireland and the continued development of innovative heating technologies.

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Implementing the SC-DMAP A maritime area consent (MAC) and a maritime usage licence (MUL) have been awarded to the company overseeing offshore renewable energy development at one of the four maritime area sites identified by the South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (SC-DMAP), a report shows.

The SC-DMAP is part of the proposed National Designated Maritime Area Plan which envisages the designation of renewable energy sites around Ireland’s coast. It is to contribute to the State’s target of 20GW offshore renewable energy generation by 2040. EirGrid is responsible for building the new transmissions grid infrastructure need to bring power generated by offshore windfarms to the national grid. It was awarded an MUL for Tonn Nua in July 2025, and marine surveys were completed in 2025 including geophysical and environmental surveys of proposed cable routes. The organisation plans to conduct geophysical, geotechnical, and environmental surveys in 2026. It will also work to identify optimal landfalls, onshore cable corridors, and grid infrastructure sub-zones. The report says EirGrid is progressing offshore transmission infrastructure required to connect up to 900MW at Tonn Nua and to enable future connections for area B, Lí Ban during the 2030s. In January 2026, a draft connection options report for Lí Ban was issued to DCEE. The report says “further engagements are planned to finalise this approach”, adding that EirGrid “will continue optioneering works for Lí Ban in 2026”. Studies of potential connection options for areas C and D, called Manannán and Danu, have commenced. A report on this was scheduled for mid-2026

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Implementing the SC-DMAP for ORE: Oversight and Progress Report, published by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) in March 2026, says Helvick Head Offshore Wind DAC, which is developing area A, Tonn Nua, was granted an MAC by the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) in March 2026. MARA also awarded it with an MUL in May 2026.

but has not been published as of October 2026. The progress report asserts that the SC-DMAP contributed to the construction of the multi-modal berth Cork Offshore Renewable Energy (CORE) 1 at the Port of Cork. CORE 1 aims to enable the port to act as a deployment hub for offshore renewable energy. Rosslare Europort and Waterford Port have received MACs for proposed developments and have submitted planning applications to An Coimisiún Pleanála. The report asserts that both ports are “well-positioned” to support phase one offshore wind projects and subsequent SC-DMAP developments. Construction of the Rosslare offshore renewable energy hub is to begin in early-2027, with delivery aimed for early-2029. It is to be a base for the construction, operation, and maintenance of offshore wind farms in the Irish and Celtic seas. Waterford Port is seeking to build an offshore renewable energy-capable terminal in Kilkenny. The review process for the regional spatial and economic strategies (RSESs) for the southern region, due to commence in 2026, is to incorporate a new regional strategy for marine and coastal matters. DCEE is to engage with coastal planning authorities regarding the RSES review process and development of city and county development plans. This is to pertain to terrestrial planning policies, objectives, and actions to support the SC-DMAP’s implementation including provision of sustainable onshore infrastructure to enable offshore renewable energy development in SC-DMAP areas. The report says Cork County Council has established a dedicated offshore renewable energy unity to coordinate actions in line with the State’s offshore renewable energy goals for 2030.

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SC-DMAP areas A-D

Source: DCEE

High-level vessel activity review A high-level vessel activity review conducted by Anatec Limited within the maritime areas found that they “largely avoid the highest vessel densities”. However, it states that each maritime area is adjacent to “a high-density route with a minor proportion of these cells overlapping the maritime areas”. The review says a “notable amount of traffic” transits between areas A and B, heading between Cork and the traffic separation scheme off Tuskar Rock. While the review finds “the bulk of vessels avoid either area”, it says the required minimum width of 3.5 nautical miles (nm) between developments in both areas may require further consideration.

Next steps As part of the SC-DMAP’s next steps, regional level surveys (RLSs) are being developed to inform the appropriate scale and location of proposed offshore renewable energy developments in areas B, C, and D. The Marine Ecosystems and Ornithology (MEO) Work Group is to decide on the scope of the RLSs which much meet the monitoring requirements of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Monitoring requirements of the SEA to track significant environmental effects of the SCDMAP’s implementation are being developed. RLSs are to be published following approval by the SC-DMAP Implementation Programme Body (IPB).

The review says there is a high-density northsouth route east of area B and west of area C. Due to this, the current minimum width of 3.5nm between both areas requires further consideration, the review asserts. It says “more sea space is likely to be required”.

The report also states that work is ongoing to develop the ecosystems services mapping which is to identify environmental, economic, and social indicators to monitor progress of the plan.

The review also asserts that a future offshore windfarm project level navigation risk assessment should examine whether proposed infrastructure locations in each site allow sufficient sea room for small vessels to avoid structures.

During a June 2026 Dáil Éireann debate, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien TD indicated that he expects Tonn Nua “to be energised in 2033”. He continued: “We are making preparations to bring the remaining three south coast DMAP sites to auction over the coming period.”

Ireland has demonstrated how quickly solar can grow. Solar Ireland is now looking beyond capacity to the combinations that can turn that progress into lasting value for homes, farms, businesses, communities, and the wider energy system. Solar now operates at every scale, from solar farms supplying the national system to rooftops generating power close to where it is used. That progress deserves recognition. But capacity is only one measure of what solar can contribute. The next chapter is about what becomes possible when we add the plus.

local energy. Ireland needs each of them working together. Large solar projects can deliver significant volumes of clean electricity, while distributed systems allow households, farms, and businesses to participate directly. Storage, flexible demand, and smart technologies can help both deliver more.

Solar+ is Solar Ireland’s vision for that next chapter. It starts with solar generation, then connects it with the technologies, places, and people that can turn clean electricity into wider value.

The plus also represents collaboration. No single technology, organisation, or part of society can deliver the energy transition alone. Progress depends on industry, government, communities, and

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Beyond 3GW: Ireland’s Solar+ opportunity consumers working towards shared outcomes. The better those connections work, the more value solar can create for Ireland. Solar+ will shape Solar Ireland’s work throughout 2027 and provide the theme for our annual conference on 13 May 2027. It is an invitation to look beyond panels and capacity and focus on outcomes: cleaner power used more effectively, greater energy security, stronger businesses, skilled careers, and more people able to participate in the transition. Ireland has demonstrated how quickly solar can grow. The opportunity now is to make that growth work harder, reach further, and deliver more. Solar is only the beginning. Now we add the +.

W: www.solarireland.ie

Solar+ storage means electricity generated during the day can be stored and used when it is needed. Solar+ homes connects on-site generation with electrified heating, EV charging, and smarter household energy use. Solar+ business gives organisations the opportunity to take greater control of their energy costs and strengthen resilience. Solar+ farms and communities can open new opportunities for participation, resilience, and regional investment. Solar+ skills puts the people and expertise needed to deliver growth safely and well at the heart of the transition. This is not about choosing between rooftop and utility-scale solar, or between national infrastructure and

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Why fleet electrification could transform Ireland’s EV transition Commercial fleets produce a disproportionate share of transport emissions, but their high mileage also makes them prime candidates for electrification, writes David Cashman, Consulting Partner at EY.

The prize is lower operating costs and faster decarbonisation, provided Ireland can align incentives, charging infrastructure, and grid capacity. Ireland’s progress towards its transport decarbonisation targets could be significantly accelerated through greater adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by commercial fleets. While fleets represent a relatively small share of vehicles on Irish roads, they account for a disproportionate share of kilometres travelled and transport emissions. Commercial vans and heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) make up just 14 per cent of vehicle stock yet generate more than half of road transport emissions. The emissions opportunity is significant, but according to the EY-Eurelectric report, Fleet forward: powering the transition to electric mobility, the 50

economic opportunity may be even greater.

Why fleet electrification matters now Fleet electrification is approaching an inflection point across Europe. The Fleet Forward report finds that economics, rather than environmental ambition alone, will determine the pace of adoption. Based on expected uptake rates, electrification of Europe’s fleet vehicles could generate up to €246 billion in operating-cost savings by 2030. For fleet operators, the economics are becoming increasingly attractive. Electric vehicles can significantly reduce energy, servicing, and maintenance costs, particularly for high-mileage

fleets where operating expenditure accounts for a substantial share of total ownership costs. Against a backdrop of fuel price volatility, the business case for electrification continues to strengthen. The environmental benefits are equally compelling. The report estimates that full fleet electrification could avoid up to one billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030, equivalent to approximately 5 per cent of projected EU and UK emissions over the same period. The benefits extend beyond fleet owners. Electrified fleets can provide flexible electricity demand to support grid stability and renewable integration, while creating growth opportunities for charge point operators, leasing companies, energy providers, and investors.

Turning ambition into action

Despite these benefits, progress has been slower among commercial fleets. Key barriers include higher upfront costs, uncertainty around residual values, grid connection delays, and the availability of charging infrastructure.

The Fleet Forward report argues that many of the solutions to large-scale electrification are already well understood. The challenge is no longer identifying solutions, but deploying them at scale. For Ireland, this means combining targeted incentives, supportive regulation, charging infrastructure investment, and innovative financing models to create a compelling business case for fleet operators.

Experience across Europe demonstrates that policy certainty matters. In the Netherlands, a combination of zero-emission zones and fiscal measures helped electric vans reach 44 per cent of new light commercial vehicle sales. Belgium has accelerated company car electrification through favourable tax treatment, while reforms in France strengthened the economic incentive to switch. The UK has similarly demonstrated how predictable benefitin-kind policies can accelerate company car adoption. The common lesson is that fleet electrification accelerates when businesses can see a clear and predictable economic pathway. However, the report also identifies persistent barriers, including fragmented incentives, high upfront costs, and higher public charging costs relative to private charging. Grid reinforcement and charging infrastructure deployment remain challenges across many markets, including Ireland. Like many European countries, Ireland faces a chicken and egg challenge. Fleet operators are reluctant to invest without visible and reliable charging infrastructure, while infrastructure providers require stronger demand signals before committing capital. This makes smart charging, flexible connections, and demand-side flexibility increasingly important enablers of fleet electrification.

Reducing upfront cost barriers remains a priority. While operating costs are increasingly favourable, higher acquisition costs continue to deter many businesses, particularly SMEs. Measures that narrow the upfront cost gap between electric and diesel vehicles can accelerate fleet replacement decisions and improve investment confidence. The report also highlights the need for charging hubs along major transport corridors, integrated energy and fleetmanagement platforms, demand flexibility services, and more flexible approaches to grid connections. Emerging commercial models such as ‘charging as a service’ and ‘fleet as a service’ can help businesses electrify without significant upfront capital investment. Ireland’s EV Infrastructure Strategy supports many of these priorities, including depot and enroute charging for commercial fleets, high-power charging along key transport corridors, and the rollout of smart, interoperable charging infrastructure.

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Time to clear the path for EV adoption

accelerating delivery and providing certainty for fleet operators. At a European level, the European Commission’s proposed Regulation on Clean Corporate Vehicles could further strengthen investment confidence by introducing binding national targets for zero- and low-emission cars and vans newly registered by large companies from 2030.

Summary Ultimately, the success of fleet electrification will depend on whether every participant in the ecosystem can see clear value. For fleet operators, that means lower operating costs and improved returns. For charging providers, investors, and energy companies, it means predictable demand and the confidence to invest in new infrastructure and services. For Ireland, the opportunity is not simply to replace diesel vehicles with electric alternatives. It is to build an integrated transport and energy system in which vehicles, charging infrastructure, and electricity networks work together. If policy certainty, infrastructure delivery, and innovative financing can be aligned, fleet electrification could become one of the most important and most commercially compelling routes to reducing transport emissions.

W: www.ey.com/en_ie

The National Road Network EV Charging Plan 2024-2030 complements this by providing a roadmap for charging deployment and recognising the role of public investment in

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How AI can transform the UK’s electricity grid Lucy Yu, the UK Government’s AI Champion for Clean Energy, says that artificial intelligence (AI) could provide the transformative capability required to operate the energy system more efficiently and reliably, but that new governance is required in order to safeguard and allow AI use to be optimised. Lucy Yu was appointed to lead an independent review of the opportunities and barriers associated with the use of AI in the UK’s electricity grid. Over seven months, her team engaged with more than 200 people across network companies, industry, technology, academia, research, and consumerfacing organisations. The resulting review contains 34 recommendations. The case for applying AI begins with the changing nature of the electricity system itself. Yu points to the UK’s move away from fossil fuel generation and towards weather-dependent renewables. “In 1990, coal provided about 80 per cent of Britain’s electricity, but just under two years ago, on 30 September 2024, the UK closed its last coal-fired power plant, and that ended 142 years of coal-generated electricity. A big chunk of that coal-generated electricity has been replaced by wind and solar power.” At the same time, changes are taking place on the demand side. Households and businesses are increasingly adopting technologies which alter how they interact with the electricity network.

“The rules that govern how we plan and operate the grid today, were put in place for a world that we no longer live in.”

“We need to be able to run a large number of scenarios or simulations cost-effectively, simultaneously, and certainly extremely quickly,” Yu says. “If they take too long to compute, then by the time we have the results, we cannot use them to inform real-time operational decisions.”

For the system operator, this makes visibility and forecasting increasingly important. Yu says that operating the grid involves combining “dozens of different tasks and models and forecasts, including continuously updated assessments of supply and demand”.

One potential solution is the use of surrogate models, which can replicate the behaviour of more complex models while requiring substantially less computational power. Advances in GPUs also provide the capacity to run large numbers of scenarios much faster.

“We need the best possible observability of the entire system. We need to know what assets exist and where, and what their states are. We cannot make a good forecast with an incomplete picture of the system.”

Yu points to research demonstrating that the bestperforming GPU tested could provide a speed-up of almost 375 times on a network with 118 nodes, while a model representing 1,354 buses of the European transmission network recorded a speedup of more than 70 times.

The second requirement is stronger forecasting of power generation, including generation which varies according to the weather. However, the transition itself creates a challenge for the models used to forecast the system. “Historical real-world data can help us to train and build better forecasting models, but when we move into a new regime, by its very nature, that means we naturally have less historical data available for that purpose, so we have a challenge to work on improving these forecasts over time.” She argues that this is an area where AI can make a practical contribution. “High-quality forecasts are important, but we do not just forecast supply and demand; we also need to understand different potential failure modes in the system and how likely they are, so that we can make dynamic assessments about the security of the system.” Yu says that, in practical terms, this means being able to answer a question: “If something does go wrong, will the grid stay stable?”

Scenario planning The increasing complexity of the electricity system means that there are more possible scenarios to consider. This creates a computational challenge, particularly when decisions have to be made quickly.

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“Behind-the-meter technologies are becoming more significant, and they change import and export behaviours from households and businesses with the main grid, but they are often not visible to the system operator, and although their adoption is still early overall, the trend is upwards.”

She argues that the combination of these technologies could create a significant new capability for grid operators. “We can start to think about combining different things like these smaller surrogate models and more efficient GPUs with better AI-driven forecasts themselves. Collectively, this becomes a powerful new capability for the system operator to run a renewables-heavy grid efficiently and reliably.” Yu also sees scope for improving the way energy sector models themselves are developed and assessed, and she argues that there needs to be a better understanding of which models perform best for particular applications. “We need to be able to understand and compare the performance of different models against relevant metrics and if we can find a way to do that, then we can also exploit that to rapidly improve the quality of the whole discipline overall.” Yu highlights ImageNet and the Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction (CASP) as examples where shared datasets and testing frameworks helped drive rapid advances. “High-quality verified and structured data sets for training, for shared testing, and clear performance benchmarks are all things that we can also do for 4 energy systems-related forecasting, with the 53

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ultimate aim of rapidly driving model improvements,” she says. AI could also increasingly affect consumers directly. Low-carbon technologies such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, and batteries can be optimised alongside time-of-use tariffs, allowing consumption to shift towards cheaper or greener periods. As consumers become more accustomed to AI in other areas of their lives, Yu expects “greater willingness to engage with it in energy or to sign up to products and services which use AI”.

Unintended consequences However, although AI optimisation can act rapidly and at scale, poorly designed incentives or signals could produce unintended consequences. “The key point here is that if you give an optimiser any signal to optimise against, it has the possibility to aggressively exploit that, and some forms of AI could turbocharge that,” Yu says. Her recommendations therefore include ensuring that AI optimisers receive effective signals about grid congestion on operational timescales, potentially through mechanisms such as regional flexibility markets, locational wholesale pricing, and dynamic network pricing. The longer-term question is whether AI could contribute to an autonomous grid. Yu is careful to distinguish autonomy from automation. “Automation is already fairly widely used in the grid to perform actions on timeframes that are not possible for humans to deliver,” she says. However, an autonomous system is different as it has “delegated authority to both pursue objectives and take actions within a range of operating conditions without needing ongoing human direction”.

That distinction has implications for governance, testing, safety, accountability, and liability. “All of this needs to begin with a shared language and definitions for how we understand these systems and their risks,” Yu says. “The rules that govern how we plan and operate the grid today, were put in place for a world that we no longer live in,” she adds. The grid now has decades of asset failure data, increasing quantities of real-time information, more sophisticated forecasting and optimisation techniques, faster simulation capabilities, and the ability to rapidly control network assets. “None of these things existed when the rules were set decades ago. They exist today, but we are still using legacy rules that prevent us from exploiting all the benefits they could bring.” Yu argues that this could allow the system to move from deterministic approaches, based on predefined worst-case scenarios, towards probabilistic and risk-based management. “We are already doing this in small pockets of the grid,” she says, pointing to dynamic line rating as one example. “On windier days, overhead lines are cooled more, and so the safe limit of the line can be higher. This is useful because we can transmit more wind instead of curtailing it.” Scaling that approach across the electricity system, however, is considerably more challenging. Yu concludes: “Every process that feeds into the planning and operation of the grid has a system transformation problem. It needs high levels of observability and interoperability of data between physical and institutional boundaries.”

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North falling short of renewables targets Renewable electricity generated in the North was equivalent to 50 per cent of gross final electricity consumption in the 12 months to June 2026, up from 44 per cent a year earlier. However, reaching the statutory target of at least 80 per cent by 2030 will require significant development across almost every part of the energy system. The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 requires the Department for the Economy (DfE) to ensure that at least 80 per cent of electricity consumption in the North comes from renewable sources by 2030, replacing the 70 per cent target established in the 2021 Energy Strategy: Path to Net Zero Energy. The Act also places the region on a statutory pathway towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Energy Strategy remains the central policy framework for the energy transition, with annual action plans setting out measures to deliver its objectives. More recently, DfE has moved towards implementation, including developing a Renewable Electricity Support Scheme, planning for smart meters and grid flexibility, and developing support for low-carbon heat.

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) figures show that renewable generation was equivalent to 50 per cent of gross final electricity consumption in the year to June 2026, leaving a substantial gap to the statutory 2030 target.

Onshore wind Onshore wind remains the backbone of the North’s renewable electricity system. In the 12 months to June 2026, wind accounted for 74 per cent of all renewable generation, with renewable generation reaching 4,431GWh. Wind has generated more electricity than all other renewable technologies combined throughout the period covered by the current NISRA series. The North closed its Renewables Obligation to new onshore wind projects in 2016. Since then, developers have operated without a dedicated renewable electricity support mechanism. DfE’s Renewable Electricity Price Guarantee (REPG) is intended to change this, with the final scheme design published in September 2025. The Renewable Electricity Generation Bill subsequently provided the legislative framework for competitive renewable electricity auctions. The Department’s Energy Strategy Action Plan 2026 identifies delivery of the support scheme as a central part of the route towards the 2030 target. Renewable NI has argued that the combination of the support scheme and improvements to grid infrastructure will be critical to unlocking the existing development pipeline. Grid access is already a significant challenge. The Utility Regulator has highlighted the level of dispatch-down experienced by renewable generators because electricity cannot always be transmitted where it is required. It is reviewing the way firm access is allocated, while reforms to connection costs came into effect in May 2026, increasing the socialisation of electricity distribution reinforcement costs.

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The Department’s 2025 Action Plan described this as a shift towards delivery of the 2030 targets, while the 2026 policy programme continues to focus on translating the legislative ambition into projects and infrastructure.

Offshore wind Offshore wind represents perhaps the biggest opportunity for diversification, but it is also the technology furthest from commercial deployment. The North currently has no operational offshore wind farms. DfE’s Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan is intended to enable offshore energy deployment in the North’s marine area from 2030, with work focused on identifying appropriate locations, environmental considerations, leasing arrangements, and the supporting infrastructure. The Department has also been developing the policy framework for offshore renewable energy installations, including issues such as decommissioning, safety zones, and navigational rights. The development of Belfast Harbour is an important part of the wider opportunity. Developers have committed significant investment towards establishing Belfast as an offshore wind hub, while the harbour is developing additional deep-water infrastructure. The UK’s Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan has identified the North’s offshore wind opportunity alongside its ports, fabrication capacity, and potential role in supporting wider UK and island-of-Ireland offshore deployment. Offshore wind is unlikely to make a substantial contribution to Northern Ireland’s 2030 electricity mix, meaning onshore deployment will continue to carry much of the burden in the intervening years and any significant advance towards the overall 2030 targets remains unlikely.

Biomethane Biomethane is moving into a more advanced phase of policy development. The first injection of biomethane into the North’s gas network took place at Dungannon in November 2023. Since then, DfE has undertaken work to determine the costs of local production and the policy mechanisms required to establish a viable industry. A call for evidence was undertaken in 2024, with the resulting report helping to shape current policy development. 4 57

Installed capacity of sites generating electricity from renewable sources (mw), wind, solar PV, and all sites, 2008 to 2024

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England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Wind

Solar PV

All

Wind

Solar PV

All

Wind

Solar PV

All

Wind

Solar PV

All

Wind

Solar PV

All

2008

1,091

2,616

375

602

1,745

3,350

214

228

3,446

6,837

2009

1,449

3,057

533

781

2,121

3,798

299

322

4,422

8,004

2010

1,867

3,702

538

794

2,676

4,369

341

368

5,421

9,256

2011

2,520

844

6,135

579

895

3,087

4,867

409

436

6,596

1,000

12,381

2012

3,970

1,469

8,250

644

109

1,007

3,954

5,811

460

500

9,030

1,753

15,649

2013

5,149

2,522

11,322

769

149

1,175

4,776

127

6,687

581

645

11,282

2,937

19,961

2014

5,895

4,770

14,766

1,182

374

1,824

5,264

167

7,309

696

807

13,074

5,528

24,920

2015

6,612

8,427

19,774

1,370

696

2,379

5,590

240

7,767

731

105

911

14,306

9,601

30,966

2016

7,184

10,352

22,696

1,567

962

2,866

6,487

292

8,798

886

134

1,115

16,126

11,914

35,651

2017

9,075

10,927

25,353

1,753

1,055

3,194

7,569

323

9,982

1,187

252

1,557

19,585

12,760

40,293

2018

9,931

11,085

27,787

1,858

1,073

3,349

8,472

347

10,952

1,340

322

1,801

21,606

13,059

44,129

2019

11,328

11,494

29,749

1,997

1,093

3,537

9,183

394

11,767

1,349

334

1,850

23,887

13,345

46,971

2020

11,845

11,622

30,508

2,003

1,123

3,590

9,253

420

11,873

1,355

336

1,862

24,458

13,552

47,894

2021

12,671

11,858

31,658

2,010

1,213

3,691

9,635

452

12,300

1,430

340

1,945

25,748

13,915

49,656

2022

14,121

12,531

33,879

2,022

1,258

3,745

11,115

505

13,829

1,430

351

1,957

28,688

14,800

53,570

2023

14,130

13,793

35,201

2,025

1,378

3,868

12,553

613

15,353

1,447

364

1,988

30,156

16,198

56,464

2024

14,224

15,633

37,195

2,028

1,533

4,027

14,358

722

17,333

1,471

371

2,018

32,082

18,280

60,596

Source: DfE

The gas network operators have identified considerable potential. A 2024 request for information received responses from 84 prospective producers representing around 3.6TWh of potential annual production. The most advanced projects were assessed as having plausible deployment of approximately 1.6TWh per year by 2030, compared with the Executive’s target of 1.5TWh of annual network injection. There has also been regulatory progress. The Utility Regulator approved modifications to gas conveyance licences in March 2026 to facilitate renewable gas connections, with the changes taking effect in May 2026. DfE is now working on support mechanisms, connection costs, and certification standards. At the September 2026 Northern Ireland Energy Forum, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald MLA said a biomethane policy consultation was expected the following month, jointly developed with DAERA.

Green hydrogen DfE published its hydrogen policy consultation in 2025, covering production, storage, transport, and use. A response was published in May 2026, providing the basis for further

policy development. The Department sees low-carbon hydrogen as potentially important for industry, power, energy security, and system flexibility. Encouragingly, Energia has operated a 1MW electrolyser at Long Mountain in County Antrim, co-located with wind turbines, while NI Water has been developing a hydrogen and oxygen demonstrator with £5 million of DfE capital funding. B9 Energy is also developing a proposed 20MW Power-to-X pilot, intended to use curtailed renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen and methanol while demonstrating flexible operation alongside the electricity grid, demonstrating the potential of hydrogen of absorbing surplus renewable generation. A further demonstration at Ballylumford, County Down, has received UK Government funding to develop a 20MW membrane-free electrolyser using curtailed wind power, with hydrogen storage in local underground salt caverns.

Heat networks and district heating Heat is perhaps the least developed part of the North’s energy transition. The latest DfE/NISRA household survey

shows that 63 per cent of households used oil as their primary heating source in 2025/26, while 34 per cent used gas. Heat networks therefore have considerable potential, particularly where they can utilise waste heat, geothermal resources, or renewable electricity. However, the sector remains small. DfE’s latest consultation identifies 97 notified heat networks in the North, comprising 90 communal systems and just seven district heating networks. Around 3,000 consumers are currently served. The immediate priority is regulatory rather than construction. DfE launched a consultation in August 2026 on a locally led regulatory framework, including a proposed role for the Utility Regulator and an authorisation regime for operators. Existing UK-wide metering and billing regulations are expected to be revoked in 2027. The Executive is also developing a broader framework for low-carbon heat. At the Northern Ireland Energy Forum, Minister Archibald said the Department would consult on a new energy-efficiency and low-carbon heat support scheme for homes, alongside work on heat networks and geothermal energy.

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(L-R) Mary Farrelly, James Carson, Ian McClelland, Andrew Devlin.

Preparing the foundations for a low-carbon power system Decarbonising the all-island electricity networks requires more than connecting new renewable generation. New system services and market arrangements need to be introduced to maintain a secure and reliable electricity system as the generation mix evolves. The Utility Regulator plays an important role alongside the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, SONI, and EirGrid in delivering key initiatives supporting the transition to a lower-carbon electricity system, including the procurement of Low Carbon Inertia Services (LCIS) and the delivery of the Strategic Markets Programme (SMP). LCIS projects enable the deployment of synchronous condensers at strategic locations across the all-island power system. As conventional thermal generators are increasingly displaced by renewable generation, the system loses important sources of inertia and reactive power support. Synchronous condensers help provide these essential services, maintaining system stability and enabling the power system to operate securely with higher levels of renewable generation. These projects are also helping to shape how

essential system services are procured in a power system increasingly powered by renewable generation. By establishing competitive arrangements for the delivery of LCIS, these projects aim to ensure that consumers receive long-term value while enabling the system operators to access the capabilities needed to maintain system security. Alongside this work, the SMP is delivering reforms to the systems and market arrangements that underpin the all-island electricity market.

Interconnector, the planned electricity link between the island of Ireland and France. Increased interconnection can strengthen security of supply, broaden access to electricity markets and facilitate the integration of renewable generation across Europe. By enabling the necessary market and systems changes, the SMP will help ensure the all-island market is ready to realise the benefits of this important infrastructure. Together, the procurement of LCIS and delivery of the SMP demonstrate the importance of regulatory and industry collaboration in addressing some of the most complex challenges facing the power system. Through its contribution to these initiatives, the Utility Regulator is helping to ensure that the all-island electricity market and networks are equipped to accommodate higher levels of renewable generation, maintain security of supply, and deliver long-term benefits for consumers.

To find out more about the Utility Regulator, visit: W: www.uregni.gov.uk

The programme will modernise these arrangements to ensure they can accommodate a changing energy landscape characterised by higher levels of renewable generation, increased electrification and greater interconnection with neighbouring markets. One of the key developments supported by the SMP is the Celtic

conference report

Northern Ireland Energy Forum 2026 Joshua Murray, Energy Ireland; Emma Morris, SONI; Niall Martindale, Kinecx Energy; Caomihe Archibald MLA, Minister for the Economy; Ciarán McManus, NIE Networks; and Sam McCloskey, Simply Blue Energy.

The Northern Ireland Energy Forum 2026, sponsored by NIE Networks, Kinecx Energy, SONI, TLT Solicitors, William Orbinson KC and Transmission Investment, took place on 9 September at Titanic Belfast. The conference brought together 300 key stakeholders for a day of discussion and networking. Northern Ireland’s biggest energy event hosted a variety of expert domestic and international speakers who comprehensively explored the most important aspects of energy policy and the latest developments across the sector in the North.

Kieran Donnelly, Morrow Communications, asks the panel a question.

Lucy Yu, UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Centre for Net Zero, addressing delegates.

Christine Lennon and Richard Paul, GES Group with Brian Slean, iPower.

Caoimhe O’Hare, Melanie Thrush, Rachel O’Kane, and Pete Gray, ARUP with Catherine Higgins, NI Water.

Jonathan Martindale, Phoenix Energy and Roisin McLaughlin, Utility Regulator.

Natasha Irvine and Erin Galway at the SONI exhibition stand.

Delegates in attendance heard from both visiting and local speakers from organisations including the Financial Times; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Centre for Net Zero; Utility Regulator; Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy; and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.

Minister for the Economy, Caoimhe Archibald MLA, addressing delegates.

Northern Ireland’s renewable opportunity renewable energy magazine

Through policy briefings, specialist working groups, direct political, and regulatory engagement, RenewableNI members gain insight into the decisions shaping the market, along with opportunities to influence them. They can share evidence, identify barriers early, and help develop solutions that benefit both the sector and consumers. Our network brings operators, new entrants, and supply-chain businesses together to deliver projects. Our links with Wind Energy Ireland and RenewableUK broaden that reach across the island of Ireland and Great Britain.

(L-R): RenewableNI Chair Steph Dunlop; Minister for the Economy Caoimhe Archibald MLA; and Mark Richardson, RenewableNI Director.

Northern Ireland is entering a decisive phase in its renewable electricity journey. There is a shared ambition for a cleaner, more secure, and more affordable energy system, supported by onshore wind, solar, storage, and offshore wind. The prize extends beyond renewable generation; delivering energy resilience and benefits for communities and consumers. At RenewableNI, we believe progress depends on sustained collaboration between industry, government, regulators, and communities. As Northern Ireland’s renewable electricity trade association, we bring together developers, generators, investors, advisers, and supply chain businesses, giving the sector a clear, credible voice.

constraints, consenting timelines, and routes to market all require locally grounded solutions, and for organisations entering or expanding here, understanding that landscape is essential. There are positive signs. The progression of legislation to enable a long-term renewable electricity support framework is improving the investment outlook. The priority now is delivery, and that requires clear decisions, investable timelines, and coordinated action across institutions.

No single organisation can resolve every challenge facing the energy transition, but an informed, coordinated industry can accelerate solutions. RenewableNI is the trusted forum where members collaborate on shared priorities, engage constructively with decision-makers, and communicate the economic, environmental, and social value of renewable electricity. At the heart of this collective effort is our annual Smart Energy conference. The 2027 event will take place on Thursday 18 February 2027 at the Europa Hotel in Belfast and will bring together key players and decision-makers from across the industry. Whether already active here or considering the market, membership offers insight, relationships, and a clearer view of the opportunities and risks. In both cases, members become part of the organisation working to turn renewable ambition into lasting delivery.

If your organisation wants to help shape Northern Ireland’s energy future, I invite you to join us. E: Membership@RenewableNI.com W: www.RenewableNI.com

Northern Ireland offers significant opportunity, but it is also a distinct market. It sits within the all-island Single Electricity Market while retaining its own political, legislative, planning, and regulatory arrangements. Grid

renewable energy magazine

Decarbonising Europe’s heating Luca Neumann, policy manager at Euroheat and Power, highlights the potential of decarbonised district heating and cooling (DHC) to support the EU’s climate targets and improve energy efficiency and flexibility. Luca Neumann says that the need to decarbonise DHC has grown significantly in light of recent geopolitical events restricting access to fossil fuels, saying: “The current Middle East situation puts it very much in focus that heat decarbonisation is not just a matter of decarbonising, but also of resilience, energy security, and energy independence.” DHC is a centralised energy system that produces thermal energy in one location and distributes it through underground pipes to multiple buildings for heating and cooling. Neumann says: “What is unique about district heating is that it can integrate a lot of different types of energy sources and technologies.” He explains that this can include “waste heat from different sectors, we also have the possibility to integrate renewable electricity through power-to-heat solutions and direct renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar thermal, and bioenergy”. DHC currently represents around 13 per cent of the EU’s heat market, serving up to 80 million citizens connected through approximately 17,000 DHC networks.

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“This is an objective that is within reach. Of course, it does not come without any effort obviously, but this is something that we also address to policymakers. The potential is there, we can address it and it is possible.” Luca Neumann, Euroheat and Power Noting that “two-thirds of all fossil gas consumed in the EU is used to generate heat and cold in buildings and is imported as well”, Neumann says the decarbonisation of DHC could have a significant impact on the EU’s climate targets.

DHC market Euroheat and Power, the international association for DHC, published its DHC Market Outlook 2026 in June 2026, which highlights the sector’s strong progress in recent years. Neumann says the report’s main finding was “increased defossilisation and diversification, through increasing integration of low-carbon energy and waste heat”. In 2024, renewable and waste heat sources accounted for 46.2 per cent of DHC supply, surpassing fossil fuels (45.9 per cent) for the first time. There was strong growth in the use of all low-carbon energy sources in DHC, with large heat pump and electric boiler usage growing by 6.2 per cent and 26 per cent respectively, while the use of waste heat grew by 5 per cent. However, there is still much to be done to improve decarbonisation in the sector. Heating and cooling in the EU lag in decarbonisation compared to electricity, as 26.7 per cent of energy used for heating and cooling is renewable compared to electricity where 48 per cent is renewable. Neumann says that reducing this disparity is a core priority of his organisation: “What we are trying to do at the EU level is bridge the heating and cooling decarbonisation gap.” This is an area of weakness in Ireland as only 7.9 per cent of energy used for heating and cooling comes from renewable sources, the lowest of all EU member states, and the only state with a rate below 10 per cent.

Europe’s energy future Highlighting the potential of decarbonised DHC, Neumann cites a University of Aalborg study which projects Europe’s possible energy system in 2050, where DHC’s share of the EU heat market is 55 per cent. Referring to this projection, Neumann says: “I think the first very important lesson is that we really have what it takes to go carbon neutral in our heating system.”

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Neumann says the key finding is that between 646 and 900 terawatt hours per year (TWh/y) of renewable and waste heat can be cost-efficiently used in district heating, covering a large share (54-73 per cent) of the supply by 2050. In the projection, the DHC sector will be largely electrified and heat pumps will be the biggest source, accounting for 39 per cent. Waste heat also plays a large role, constituting up to 34 per cent of the energy supply, while geothermal becomes the prime source of renewable energy, comprising 8 per cent of the total. Neumann says that the projection also shows the potential for DHC in Ireland which has “the third largest potential for data centre waste heat” at 19TWh/y, and that Dublin’s geothermal potential can meet 75 per cent of the city’s heat demand. Describing how the sector is projected to look in Ireland, Neumann says: “It could be largely electrified but with heat pumps playing a bigger role, about 40 to 60 per cent. Also waste heat could be up to 30 per cent so there is a big potential for that.” To achieve this projection, the study states €1.16 trillion investment is needed to modernise and deploy DHC by 2050. This is in addition to €2 trillion for building renovations, €30 billion of which would be needed in Ireland. Highlighting upcoming policy developments such as the EU’s Cooling and Heating Action Plan alongside the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive, Neumann says DHC “is a sector in transition”. The strategy will not introduce additional legislation, rather it will support legislation implementation and provide guidance to the sector. Explaining the strategy, Neumann says: “It will look at the different resources that could be tapped into by DHC but will also make the link to the Electrification Action Plan to see how DHC can work as an integrated energy system from an overall perspective.” Ultimately, Neumann highlights that for the sector to reach the University of Aalborg’s projection by 2050 it needs EU annual growth of between 6 and 7 per cent. Noting that there was a 6 per cent annual growth in large markets such as Germany and France between 2019 and 2023 he says: “This is an objective that is within reach. Of course, it does not come without any effort obviously, but this is something that we also address to policymakers. The potential is there, we can address it and it is possible.”

Building Ireland’s heat future through district heating renewable energy magazine

For Ireland, the technology offers the potential to support lower-emission heating, make use of locally available renewable and waste heat, reduce reliance on individual fossil-fuel boilers, and support the delivery of new homes and infrastructure.

IrDEA’s mission Our vision is to support the development of a secure, sustainable, and affordable heat system for Ireland. The Irish District Energy Association (IrDEA) is a membership-based organisation. We represent the interests of the district heating and cooling industry in Ireland.

Heatworks Tallaght. Credit: Codema.

CEO Irish District Energy Association, Pauline O’Reilly

Ireland’s heat system is changing and district heating can play a central role in delivering a more secure, sustainable, and efficient energy future.

District heating provides heat to multiple homes, businesses, and public buildings from a central energy source through insulated underground networks. With less than 1 per cent of Ireland’s heat demand currently supplied by district heating, there is significant potential for growth. Analysis highlighted by SEAI suggests that more than half of Ireland’s buildings could potentially be served by district heating networks.

protections, regulation, and greater certainty for investment.

From ambition to delivery

Unlocking Ireland’s waste and renewable heat

Ireland has set an ambition to increase district heating from less than 1 per cent of heat demand today to approximately 10 per cent by 2030. The Heat (Networks and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 provides an important framework for this expansion, including consumer

But legislation alone will not build heat networks. Grant supports are also on the way. The SEAI is currently working on a grant scheme which will be live in 2027. Delivering this ambition will also require planning certainty, investment, project development, and construction turning projects from plans into operating networks that benefit communities.

It is fair to say we are a broad church. Our members include everyone from local authorities and academic institutions to installers, product suppliers, and technical specialists. Many are leading actors in the district heating sector in Ireland, and internationally. IrDEA works with industry, State agencies and investors to accelerate the rollout of district heating across Ireland. As the sector develops, our focus is on supporting the industry to turn Ireland’s district heating ambition into projects on the ground. District heating can help Ireland make better use of local energy resources, support communities and build a more sustainable heat system for the future.

Membership and media enquiries: info@districtenergy.ie

W: www.districtenergy.ie

District heating is not a new technology. Around 80 million people across Europe already benefit from district heating, demonstrating its established role in modern energy systems.

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Engineering tomorrow’s energy infrastructure: Coffey’s growth journey Ireland has no shortage of renewable energy ambition. From offshore wind and grid reinforcement to renewable gas and battery storage, significant targets and investment plans are driving the development of new energy infrastructure, writes John Gibbons, Energy Director at Coffey. The challenge is turning that ambition into operational assets. For companies working across the energy sector, delivering projects is rarely just about the technology itself. Success depends on integrating civil engineering, mechanical systems, electrical infrastructure, and utility networks into assets that can be built, commissioned, and operated safely.

often while designs continue to evolve and construction progresses. For developers and delivery partners, maintaining programme certainty depends on managing those connections effectively.

systems must support safe and reliable plant operation. Underground services have to be planned around structures and equipment, while utility infrastructure must connect the facility to existing networks and accommodate its operational requirements.

From ambition to delivery

Coffey, an engineering and infrastructure contractor operating across Ireland and the UK, is seeing this challenge firsthand through its involvement in renewable gas, grid infrastructure, and wider energy projects. Delivering modern energy infrastructure increasingly requires these requirements to be considered together from the outset, rather than addressed as separate workstreams later in the project.

Biomethane provides a clear example of the infrastructure challenge. Ireland’s National Biomethane Strategy targets 5.7TWh of indigenous biomethane production by 2030.

These challenges are not unique to biomethane. Battery energy storage, renewable electricity generation, and grid infrastructure create their own combinations of civil, electrical, mechanical, and utility requirements. As projects increase in scale and complexity, the ability to identify and manage these dependencies early becomes an important factor in buildability, programme certainty, and commissioning.

As Ireland accelerates the deployment of low-carbon infrastructure, managing these interfaces becomes increasingly important. Renewable energy projects must interact with existing electricity, gas, water, and transport networks,

While anaerobic digestion technology sits at the heart of biomethane production, delivering facilities at scale requires considerably more than process equipment. Civil infrastructure, mechanical and electrical installation, storage facilities, and utility connections must all be integrated within a coherent delivery programme. The engineering challenge frequently emerges where those elements meet. Process equipment must be coordinated with foundations and structures. Mechanical and electrical

Little Island: integrating infrastructure and process Stream BioEnergy’s biomethane facility at Little Island, Cork, illustrates how these different requirements come together on a major energy project.

Infrastructure as an enabler of transition Ireland’s renewable energy targets inevitably focus attention on generation capacity, energy output and new technologies. Delivering those ambitions, however, also requires sustained attention to the less visible infrastructure that allows energy assets to function.

Being delivered through an EPC partnership between Coffey and Kanadevia Inova, the project is expected to become Ireland’s largest food and garden waste biomethane facility when operational. It combines process technology, civil engineering, mechanical installation, and utility infrastructure within a single delivery programme. When operational in 2027, the plant will process 90,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial food and garden waste annually and deliver more than 80GWh of renewable biomethane each year to Ireland’s national gas network. It is also expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40,000 tCO2e annually while producing sustainable biofertilisers through the recycling of nutrients from food waste. The figures demonstrate the scale of the facility, but from a delivery perspective its complexity is equally significant. Alongside substantial civil and building works, Coffey’s scope extends to key mechanical installation packages, including balance-of-plant equipment, CHP systems, biogas storage infrastructure, and associated process equipment required for the facility’s operation. That breadth of scope creates dependencies across the project. Foundations and structures have to reflect equipment requirements; underground services have to be coordinated with construction and installation activities; and mechanical, electrical, and process systems ultimately have to operate as parts of the same facility. The lesson is that individual packages cannot be designed or delivered entirely in isolation. Decisions made within one discipline can influence construction sequencing, access,

installation methodology, and commissioning elsewhere in the programme.

Designing for construction This is why constructability needs to be considered while energy infrastructure is being designed, rather than after design decisions have been fixed. On a complex project such as Little Island, civil, mechanical, electrical, process, and utility requirements develop in parallel. Equipment specifications can influence foundations and supporting structures, while the location of underground services can affect subsequent construction and installation activities. Changes in one area therefore have the potential to create consequences elsewhere. Managing that complexity requires close coordination between project partners, designers, utility providers, and specialist subcontractors as design and construction progress. The objective is not simply greater collaboration for its own sake. Earlier consideration of construction methodology, sequencing, temporary works, access, and installation requirements can identify potential conflicts before they reach site. It can also help align engineering, procurement, and construction decisions with commissioning requirements and the overall programme.

renewable energy magazine

Coffey delivering Stream BioEnergy’s Biomethane Plant in Little Island, County Cork.

That includes foundations and structures, access and drainage, underground utilities, electrical and mechanical infrastructure, and the connections into existing energy and utility networks. None are the defining technology of the energy transition, but shortcomings in any of them can affect whether projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and on programme. The implications will become more significant as Ireland attempts to deliver a larger pipeline of energy infrastructure simultaneously. Developers and their delivery partners will need to consider not only whether individual technologies perform as intended, but whether projects can be constructed, connected, commissioned, and maintained efficiently within existing infrastructure constraints. Little Island provides one practical example of that challenge: process technology, civil engineering, mechanical installation, and network infrastructure ultimately have to become one operational asset. As Ireland moves from renewable energy ambition towards delivery at scale, the ability to manage these connections will become increasingly important. The pace of the transition will depend not only on the technologies Ireland chooses, but on its ability to engineer and construct the infrastructure that allows those technologies to operate.

For further information on Coffey’s work in energy infrastructure, contact John Gibbons, Energy Director, Coffey: T: +353 86 828 4062 E: jgibbons@coffeygroup.com

The same principle applies across the energy sector. A battery storage facility, grid connection, or renewable generation project may use very different technology from a biomethane plant, but each ultimately depends on physical infrastructure being designed and constructed around the requirements of the energy asset.

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The next phase of Europe’s clean energy transition Paula Rey Garcia of the European Commission’s DirectorateGeneral for Energy discusses the progress of the EU’s clean energy transition and the challenges around electrification, affordability, flexibility, and investment. Outlining the progress made over the last decade, Paula Rey Garcia says there have been “some good developments” which are particularly important in relation to renewable deployment, with the most significant progress taking place in the electricity sector. Rey Garcia says that the scale of progress demonstrates that “the clean energy transition is underway”. However, she adds that this progress has also created new challenges around integrating renewable energy into electricity systems. “For the first time, we have electricity generated by wind and solar overcoming fossil fuels in 2024,” says Rey Garcia. 68

She highlights the record levels of renewable capacity deployment and the increasing share of renewables in the EU power mix. However, she says there are challenges associated with integrating these renewable sources into electricity systems. “We see the issue of negative price hours,” she says. “We see the elements on lack of flexibility in several systems that hamper that integration.” Rey Garcia says these issues limit the benefits that renewable energy can provide to consumers. The European Commission official says that while there has also been progress on investment, further work is needed to ensure public support is used

efficiently and encourages private investment. “Public support on its own will not be sufficient to drive the transition as much as it would be needed,” she says.

2030 target

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Rey Garcia says that progress towards the EU’s 2030 renewable energy target is continuing, but there is still significant work to be done to reach the 42.5 per cent objective.

“At this moment of the transition, we really need to tap on all the possible solutions.”

She says this demonstrates that there are still barriers preventing the transition from progressing at the required pace. Rey Garcia argues that one of the key challenges is replicating the progress achieved in electricity across other sectors.

“In 2024, the Commission put forward, the Clean Industrial Deal, which really tries to bring all these elements much more closely together,” she says.

“We should see how to replicate what we see in the power sector into other sectors,” she says.

Rey Garcia says affordability and security of supply are also central to this approach, particularly in the current geopolitical context.

She identifies transport and heating and cooling as particular areas requiring greater progress, adding that this challenge applies to Ireland as well as the EU as a whole. Rey Garcia says legislation is already in place to address some of the barriers, including measures around permitting, renewable energy communities, and support schemes. However, she says that more needs to be done, particularly around boosting demand in key sectors and ensuring that energy remains affordable.

She identifies electrification as one of the fundamental challenges facing the EU. Rey Garcia says that limited electrification in some sectors is acting as a barrier to integrating renewable energy more quickly, while the overall level of electrification has “somehow stagnated over the last couple of years”. She says addressing this will require significant focus during 2026 and the years ahead.

Clean Industrial Deal

Affordability

Rey Garcia says the European Commission’s approach to the energy transition has developed alongside the changing priorities of its current mandate.

Rey Garcia says affordability is closely linked to the success of the clean energy transition.

She explains that the previous Commission mandate involved a significant push towards decarbonisation through the European Green Deal and the Fit for 55 package. Under the current mandate, which began in late-2024, Rey Garcia says there is a greater focus on bringing competitiveness and decarbonisation together.

The Commission has introduced an action plan for affordable energy which contains measures from “quite a number of different angles”. One area of focus is the composition of electricity bills. Rey Garcia says some costs included on electricity bills are not directly related to energy, highlighting taxes, levies, and charges. “This has to do with taxes, with levies, and charges that go into the energy bill and maybe should not be there,” she says.

Rey Garcia argues that these costs may need to be reallocated to other priorities. She says consumers should not see a high energy bill and assume that all of the cost is directly related to the transition. The Commission is also examining the role of long-term contracts in providing greater certainty for the sector. Rey Garcia points to contracts for difference and power purchase agreements as mechanisms which can provide stability, protect against price volatility, and attract investment. She says Ireland already has “quite some good experience” in this area.

Flexibility and storage Rey Garcia says the integration of renewable energy requires more than simply increasing renewable generation. She highlights the importance of renewable hydrogen and low-carbon energy for hard-to-abate sectors, alongside greater electrification and flexibility. “Flexibility, non-fossil flexibility,” she says, is particularly important, alongside storage and demand response. Rey Garcia argues that periods of negative electricity prices can provide an investment signal rather than simply representing a problem. “With flexibility, benefit from those times where energy is cheaper, because indeed the wind is blowing or there is a lot of sun,” she says. She says these elements need to be brought together to attract investment

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and gradually reduce the need for public support for renewable energy.

Electrification and heating

Grids

Looking ahead, Rey Garcia says the European Commission will place a particular focus on electrification and heating and cooling.

Rey Garcia highlights the European Commission’s grids package, adopted in December 2025, as an important initiative addressing these challenges. The package examines infrastructure, flexibility, and the investment required in electricity grids, while also considering the barriers which can be addressed at European level. Rey Garcia identifies planning as “a fundamental issue” in the delivery of energy projects. She also highlights interconnection and cross-border infrastructure, alongside measures to better protect critical cross-border energy infrastructure. The package also examines storage, renewable energy, and the deployment of recharging points. Rey Garcia says grids and storage are currently acting as bottlenecks in a number of member states. She says better planning and investment, including through the Connecting Europe Facility, will be required to address these issues and move the energy transition forward.

An action plan on electrification is expected to examine the barriers preventing greater electrification across transport, buildings, and industry. Rey Garcia says the Commission is looking at how to increase demand for electricity while ensuring that supply and demand remain balanced. She says this will require greater use of flexibility and storage to ensure electrification does not negatively affect energy prices. Heating and cooling will also be addressed through a closely related strategy. Rey Garcia says there is significant potential to increase the use of clean heat, including heat pumps and electric boilers, while district heating and cooling could also have a role where appropriate. However, she says there are barriers which must be addressed, including the price relationship between electricity and fossil fuels.

“This is really something that influences a lot the attractiveness of some of these solutions,” she says. Rey Garcia explains that while clean technologies can have lower operational costs, their upfront costs can represent a significant barrier. The Commission will also examine specific technologies, including geothermal energy, while considering the wider range of solutions available. “At this moment of the transition, we really need to tap on all the possible solutions,” Rey Garcia says. She adds that the focus will be on identifying and tackling the horizontal barriers preventing those solutions from being deployed. Looking beyond the immediate measures, Rey Garcia says the Commission will also begin considering the framework required for climate and energy policy beyond 2030. However, she emphasises that there is still significant work to be done within the existing 2030 framework, particularly in increasing electrification, improving flexibility, and ensuring that the benefits of renewable energy can reach consumers.

Flexible capacity for a more resilient grid suit the application, while the HV side can accommodate voltage ratings from 11 kV up to 34.5 kV.

renewable energy magazine

This adaptability allows the unit to support a broad range of medium- and low-voltage network configurations, widening the number of sites at which it can be deployed. The integrated containerised format also reduces the amount of equipment that must be assembled separately on site. Alongside mobility, the project places a strong emphasis on data. Advanced condition monitoring captures electrical, thermal, and mechanical operating information, including load, harmonics, power quality, cooling-system status, and winding temperatures. This operating data can be compared with calculated thermal models and used by Kyte Powertech and R&S Group R&D to further optimise transformer performance, cooling, and material use.

Ireland’s energy transition is not only a generation challenge. It is also a resilience and infrastructure challenge. As more renewable generation connects to the system and electricity demand grows, network operators need greater flexibility to maintain supply during planned works, equipment replacement, and unexpected outages. Kyte Powertech has developed a new mobile transformer solution to provide temporary or emergency capacity in precisely these situations. Designed and manufactured within R&S Group, the unit combines transformer technology, switching equipment, cooling, protection, monitoring, and connection systems within a single transportable container. The result is a deployment-ready solution that can be mobilised where additional transformer capacity is needed, helping utilities and energy operators maintain continuity of supply

while permanent infrastructure is unavailable, being upgraded or under repair. Its potential applications extend across the energy system. The mobile transformer can support planned substation maintenance and refurbishment, emergency response following network disruption, temporary grid reinforcement, and renewable energy projects. It can also provide interim capacity for industrial sites and critical infrastructure while permanent assets are being manufactured or replaced. The design includes built-in flexibility, with the transformer engineered to operate at agreed voltage levels across different network requirements throughout Europe. Transformer power and LV voltages can be configured to

The unit also uses Bio 300X insulating fluid, supporting the project’s focus on thermal performance and more efficient material use. For an electricity system undergoing rapid change, resilience depends not only on building permanent new infrastructure, but also on having flexible assets available when the network needs them. Kyte Powertech’s mobile transformer brings together mobility, adaptable configuration, and advanced monitoring in a practical solution designed to support continuity of supply across grid, renewable energy, and critical infrastructure applications.

W: www.kytepowertech.com

TRANSFORMER EXPERTISE FOR A CHANGING ENERGY NETWORK Kyte Powertech provides oil-filled distribution transformer solutions backed by extensive engineering, manufacturing and testing expertise at our facility in Cavan, Ireland. Our solutions support utility networks, renewable energy, battery energy storage systems, data centres, transport, water, and other critical infrastructure, as well as industrial applications. From established designs to bespoke engineering and mobile solutions, we work to meet specific project and network requirements. Our approach is underpinned by independently certified quality, health and safety, environmental and energy management systems, together with independently verified greenhouse gas reporting.

Talk to our team about your requirements info@kytepowertech.com | +353 49 433 1588 www.kytepowertech.com

renewable energy magazine

Renewable generation and storage in numbers Average daily electricity supply source by month 2025 Gigawatt hours Month

Total Supply

Net Imports

Storage

Generation Non-Renewable

Generation Renewable

Net Import

Storage

Generation Non-Renewable

Generation Renewable

January

107.2

11.4

1.1

51.4

43.2

10.7

1.1

40.3

February

108

12.8

33.8

60.4

11.9

31.3

55.9

March

101.2

18.3

0.9

41.1

40.8

18.1

0.9

40.6

40.3

April

94.3

15.7

43.2

34.4

16.7

1.1

45.8

36.5

May

89.7

20.1

1.3

38.6

29.7

22.4

1.5

33.1

June

90.6

21.1

1.1

32.7

35.6

23.3

1.2

36.1

39.3

July

90.5

14.1

1.1

44.7

30.6

15.6

1.2

49.4

33.8

August

17.5

1.1

38.6

32.8

19.4

1.2

42.8

36.5

September

93.8

18.2

1.2

33.2

41.1

19.4

1.3

35.4

43.9

October

99.6

16.2

1.1

37.5

44.8

16.3

1.1

37.7

November

107.2

17.8

1.2

43.3

44.9

16.6

1.1

40.4

41.9

December

108.1

17.9

1.2

48.9

16.6

1.1

45.2

Source: CSO

Electricity storage •

In 2025 electricity storage output contributed a small share of electricity supply, at 1%

•

However, during the peak demand period of 5pm to 6pm electricity storage output, from pumped hydro and battery discharge combined, provided 4% of electricity supply on average, and as much as 13% on 19 December 2025 Source: CSO

renewable energy magazine

Total hourly solar electricity generation for January, May, June, and December 2025 Gigawatt hours (GWh) Time period

January

May

June

December

0:00

1:00

Solar

2:00

Electricity from solar generation was

3:00

1,101GWh in 2025, which made up 4%