Climate change is a wide-ranging and far-reaching challenge. But the opportunities are endless. We can all play a very positive part in reducing our impact on the climate. The development of renewable energy is the foundation upon which effective climate action can be delivered.
It is clear that in order to deliver effective action on climate breakdown, we are embracing new ways of thinking and the public want renewable sources to power their homes, cars and businesses. At the moment, the majority of us still use fossil fuels to generate our electricity, heat our homes and run our cars, all of which release carbon into the environment.
However, people are now moving towards a low carbon solution. In 2020, 43% of our electricity came from renewable sources and in the most recent Climate Action Plan 2023, the country has a target to increase that to 80% by 2030.
Ireland has also committed to increasing its onshore wind capacity to 9GW by 2030
Ireland’s electricity grid started out as a world leader in renewable energy with the construction and operation of the Ardnacrusha facility in the 1929. Our electricity demand has continued to grow over the years, and it is clear that our electricity generation system needs to revert to its roots in developing a clean, green renewable energy mix.
