Ireland overall renewable energy share is one of the lowest in Europe and below target, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has warned.
Ireland generated 15.3 percent of its energy share from renewables in 2023, that’s up from 13.1 percent the previous year, but still behind target.
Under the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED), Ireland committed to 16 percent from renewables in 2020. Four years on, it is yet to reach that baseline.
By 2030, Ireland is supposed to be up to 43 percent.
The SEAI report shows that Ireland spent €50 million buying transfer credits from Denmark and Estonia.
The energy authority warns that buying credits to meet the baseline will get more and more expensive for Ireland in coming years if it doesn’t improve its act.
The 2030 target of 43 percent of gross final energy consumption was enshired in Irish law in July this year through the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland says a “faster rate of change and delivery [is] needed to ensure we meet targets”.
“The data shows that 2023 was a record year for renewables in our energy mix, which contributed to our emissions reduction. The impact of this was somewhat balanced by demand growth, meaning that despite the reduction in energy-related emissions, at 82.7 percent Ireland remains highly dependent on fossil fuels to satisfy our energy needs.”