How Much of Ireland's Energy Is Renewable in 2024?
Around 57.6% of the electricity supplied by Irish energy providers came from renewable energy sources in 2022. This is according to the latest information published by the CRU in thier Fuel Mix and Emissions report for 2022, published in late 2023. Of the 12 energy providers operating in the Irish market, 5 offer electricity that is 100% from renewable sources.
What Percentage of Ireland's Energy Is Renewable?
According to the latest fuel mix disclosure published by the CRU in 2023, 57.6% of the electricity supplied by Irish energy providers came from renewable energy sources.
This is an increase from 55.0% the previous year. Since 2008, the overall share of renewable energy sources in Ireland has increased by nearly fivefold from 11% to 57.6.9%.
You can see what percentage of Ireland's energy is renewable in the chart below.
Source: CRU Fuel Mix Disclosure and CO2 Emissions 2022, pg. 24.
*The fuel mix from Ecopower, Waterpower, and Community Power have yet to be verified by the CRU.
It's important to understand that this share of renewable sources does not necessarily represent the actual amount of renewable energy that was generated in Ireland. This is because energy suppliers can claim renewable generation by purchasing Guarantees of Origin (GO) certificates.
These certificates prove that a given share of electricity was produced from renewable energy sources. However, this doesn't mean the energy was produced in Ireland — it just means it was produced in Europe. Therefore, the renewable percentage displayed on your bill is often higher than what was generated in Ireland.
You can see the percentage of fuel that each Irish provider gets from renewable energy sources in the following table.
| Supplier | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Bord Gáis Energy | 30.38% |
| Community Power* | 42.93% |
| Ecopower* | 100% |
| Electric Ireland | 80.72% |
| Energia | 100% |
| Flogas | 100% |
| Glowpower | 24.27% |
| Pinergy | 100% |
| PrePayPower | 25.31% |
| SSE Airtricity | 100% |
| Waterpower* | 24.27% |
| Yuno Energy | 21.3% |
Source: CRU Fuel Mix Disclosure and CO2 Emissions 2022, pg. 24.
*The fuel mix from Ecopower, Waterpower, and Community Power have yet to be verified by the CRU.
What Are the Renewable Energy Companies in Ireland?
There are currently 12 domestic electricity suppliers in Ireland. There are now eight of these suppliers that provide 100% renewable electricity:
- Energia
- Community Power*
- Ecopower*
- SSE Airtricity
- Pinergy
- Waterpower*
- Flogas
*Community Power, Ecopower, and Waterpower also claim to provide 100% renewable energy; however, this has yet to be verified by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).
In the table below, you'll find a list of the best electricity offers from domestic suppliers that currently provide 100% renewable electricity.
| Supplier | Best offer | Price per year |
|---|---|---|
| Energia | 37% Discount on Electricity | €1,244.24 |
| SSE Airtricity | Fixed Offer | €1,273.32 |
| Flogas | 22% off Standard Electricity | €1,239.86 |
| Ecopower | 25% off Standard Electricity | €1,432.22 |
| Pinergy | No Discount | €2,001.73 |
*Figures are for illustrative purposes only. Calculations based on average consumption figures for an urban home with a 24-hour standard meter. All discounts and cashback have been applied.
Last Updated: 26/07/2024
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What Is Renewable Energy?
Renewable energy is defined as energy from a source that is not depleted when used. It is often confused with green energy or clean energy. All green energy is renewable, but not all renewable energy is green — green energy comes from natural sources only, such as:
- Wind
- Water
- Wave energy
Renewable energy comes in many forms, such as the following energy sources:
- Solar
- Hydroelectric
- Geothermal
Electrically powered heat pumps can also be considered somewhat renewable, as even though they do require units of electricity to operate, they produce up to four times more energy than used.
What Are the Advantages of Renewable Energy?
Here are but a few points as to why relying on renewable energy sources is important:
- Reduction of gas emissions, helping with the fight against climate change.
- Decrease dependence on fossil fuels coming from external countries.
- Creates new jobs locally in installation, maintenance, etc.
- Are a reliable, constant source of energy.
- Improves air quality and consequently public health.
What Are the Disadvantages of Renewable Energy?
There are still some drawbacks to renewable energy sources, here are but a few of these items:
- Energy output is still quite low for all technology types (solar, wind, tidal, etc.).
- Requires an important upfront capital investment.
- The energy produced either needs to be used immediately or stored in batteries.
- Occupies a large quantity of land.
- The machinery required and its construction may still pollute.
What Is Non-Renewable Energy?
On the contrary, non-renewable energy is one that will deplete and will not replenish. Some non-renewable energy examples are:
- Oil (or fossil fuels, fracking)
- Peat
- Coal
- Natural gas
- Nuclear
As seen in the all-island mix below, Ireland still depends greatly on non-renewable sources to satisfy the energy demand. Although the quantity of renewable sources is increasing, so is the energy demand. As we are gradually moving towards hybrid and electric cars, and more charging stations, rather than fossil fuels, this is significantly increasing the need for energy at the same time.
Is Nuclear Energy Renewable?
Many experts can debate this question at large. Today, there is no doubt that nuclear energy is the most efficient source we have. Its waste is relatively small for the amount of power it generates.
The issue is that although the amount of waste is relatively minimal, we have no idea how long it will take for this waste to disintegrate and maintenance for these thousands of years is highly dangerous and toxic.
However, one cannot deny that it does not contribute to carbon emissions, which is the goal of the Paris Agreement. Making the discussion around the use or not of nuclear power a very 'sensitive' topic.
What is the Paris Agreement? In 2015, 186 countries agreed to reduce gas emissions by specific amounts by 2050. Recognized as a monumental occasion with the fight against Global Warming.
Which Renewable Energy Sources Are Used in Ireland?
In Ireland, the types of renewable energy sources include biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydro, solar, tidal, water, wave, waste, wind, and wood. Let's have a more in-depth look at these clean energy sources below.
1. Biofuels
Biofuels are made by converting biomass into liquid energy. The two most common forms are ethanol and biodiesel. Ethanol is an alcohol which can be added to fuels to cut down on emissions, or some new cars can also run mainly on it but do require some petrol (at least 15%). Biodiesel is made by combining alcohol with fat and can also be added to fuels, or used as the main fuel source instead of diesel.
In Ireland, there is a Biofuels Obligation Scheme (BOS) in place, which from January 2019 requires 11.11% of all motor fuels on the market to be mixed with or produced from ethanol or biodiesel. Some critics of biofuel point out that Ireland imports the majority of the materials needed to make it, and as such, it is not a sustainable option geared towards making Ireland more energy-independent.
2. Biomass
Biomass is fuel developed from organic materials, such as scrap wood, crops, manure, and some types of waste residues. It is viewed as green energy, as its sources are grown using energy from the sun, and is also an additional more sustainable way to deal with waste.
Waste residues will always exist, so why not take advantage of them? In addition, waste residues and organic material can be sourced close to home, rather than being imported. Biomass is also carbon-neutral, as many of the materials used to make it would otherwise have ended up in landfills.
Scrap wood can be used for home heating or to run boilers at home. In particular, wood pellet stoves and boilers have seen a rise in popularity in Ireland, with stylish sleek modern models that add value to many homes.
3. Geothermal
Geothermal energy use in Ireland is mainly provided through heat pumps, which draw thermal energy from the ground to meet up to 75% of home heating and hot water energy requirements. You may be thinking that Ireland is too cold to extract much thermal energy from the ground, but a meter below the surface temperatures tend to remain a constant 10 degrees year-round. There are grants for installing geothermal systems in homes, and once installed, a household’s energy requirements can drop to a quarter of previous levels. An underfloor heating system is a great use of geothermal energy.
4. Hydroelectric
Flowing water contains energy that can be captured and converted to hydroelectric energy. This is normally achieved by creating a dam or channelling water through a turbine. Ireland has been using hydroelectric energy for quite a while, with the opening of the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station on the River Shannon in 1929.
Ardnacrusha currently provides around 2% of Ireland’s electricity needs. Smaller stations can also be built to serve individual homes or communities and can benefit from the government's REFIT (Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff) where excess electricity generated can be fed into the national grid and paid for by the government.
5. Solar Energy
Solar energy is one of the cleanest renewable energy sources there is, and new ways of harnessing it are continuously evolving. The most common source of extracting solar energy in Ireland is through solar panels. It is a commonly held misconception that Ireland doesn’t get enough sunlight to justify the use of solar panels.
However, even during a particularly dull year Ireland still receives 70% of the sunlight that other sunnier places get, for example, Madrid. Solar panels are suitable for both home and business use and benefit from government subsidies, since solar panels are very expensive, such as the SEAI better energy home grants and specific solar panel grants.
6. Tidal/Wave
Tidal power is a form of hydroelectric power that draws energy from the tides and requires significant tidal differences (at least five metres difference between low-tide water levels and high-tide levels). Tidal barrages are one manner of extracting tidal power where water approaching the shoreline at high tide is stored in dams and released via sluices to generate energy during low tide.
Wave energy involves harnessing energy from the contact of wind with ocean surfaces. It is not as reliable or predictable as tidal energy but can provide a steady stream of electricity when harnessed efficiently. Wave energy converters are currently in use off the west coast of Ireland
7. Water
Apart from hydroelectric, tidal, and wave energy (which all rely on water movement), thermal energy can also be extracted from water. This is the principle behind some heat pumps. One drawback with this form of renewable energy is that the buildings using this to generate electricity and hot water need to be near a body of water.
8. Waste
Apart from the use of certain waste residues for biofuel or biomass energy production, there is also energy generated from incinerating waste. One example of a power plant using such energy is the Covanta station in Poolbeg Dublin.
Although not strictly “clean”, this process does reduce the volume of non-recyclable materials by 90%. It is also technically carbon-neutral as it is using waste that has already been produced.
9. Wind Power
There are over 400 wind farms in the Republic of Ireland and in 2024 they generated 34% of the electricity needed. The development of wind farms in Ireland is subsidised by the EU and the PSO (public service obligation) levy that everyone pays on their electricity bills.
Wind power is difficult to predict and fluctuates between being able to provide nearly nothing, and up to 32.3% of the electricity requirements of Ireland.
Government has committed to the building of approximately 7-10 off-shore wind farms by 2030 to counter this problem. Off-shore winds are more reliable and consistent
Is Ireland Meeting Its Renewable Energy Targets for 2030?
While Ireland has seen a reduction in its level of greenhouse gas emissions during 2023, its target of a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is still somewhat off.
According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions were the lowest they have been for nearly three decades decreasing almost 6.8% from the previous year.
Despite this, Ireland reamins the second-largest producer of greenhouse gases in the EU per capita, behind only Luxembourg.
See the chart below to compare how Ireland ranks in gas emissions compared to the rest of Europe.
Source: Statista
Our environmental guides go into further detail and Ireland and the environment.
The Future of Renewable Energy in Ireland?
The Irish governemnt has set an ambitious target of having 80% of total energy sourced from renewables by 2030.
This would require an increase of over 20% in the next 6 years if we are to meet our 2030 target.
In persuit of this target, the Irish government has:
- Commited to the continued expansion wind energy infrastructure.
- The expansion of the SEAI home improvements grant schemes.
- Grants for electric vehicles and home charging stations.
- The completion of the Cetic Interconnector.
- Grants for the microgeneration of renewable energy from homes.