Education
Education is a core aspect of the Ballyfeeny Green Energy project. As well as providing educational resources, we will offer expert-led tours around wind farms for members of the neighboring community and local schools.
To arrange, contact us via the button below.
Climate Change
What is Climate Change?
- Climate is the average weather over many years.
- Climate change is a shift in those average conditions.
- The Earth is now in a period of rapid climate change, with global temperatures rising.
What are the causes?
- There have always been natural variations in the climate, but global temperatures are rising now,
because of human activities. - The world is about 1.2°C warmer than before people started using oil, gas and coal to power factories
and transport, and to heat homes. - The greenhouse gases released by burning these fossil fuels trap the sun’s energy.
How have human activities influenced climate change?
- Humans are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth’s temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and farming livestock.
- This adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.
- The amount of one greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – CO2 – has risen about 50% since the 19th Century and 12% in the past two decades.
- Another source of greenhouse gases is deforestation. When trees are burned or chopped down, the carbon they normally store is released.
the greenhouse effect
The Greenhouse Effect is a natural occurrence that is essential to human life. Energy from the sun warms the Earth as it is trapped in the atmosphere. Not all the energy from the sun is trapped, some of it is reflected into space. This process of absorbing and reflecting energy warms the planet to an average of 15 degrees Celsius, this ensures that life on earth is possible. Rapid changes to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is resulting in global warming, where more of the Sun’s energy is absorbed and less energy is reflected into space.
Changes to the composition of the atmosphere is a natural process. The Earth has gone through cycles of extreme cold, the Ice Age, and warmer eras, the Carboniferous period, where dense and swampy forests gave rise to large deposits of peat, which, over time transformed into coal. The growth of giant tropical forests removed huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and stored it as coal deposits, the same coal that we burn today.
The industrial revolution, saw the growth in coal consumption which gave rise to unprecedented levels of air pollution. This was followed by the production of industrial chemicals, increased production of consumer goods and intensification of agriculture. All these activities have something in common – they are energy intensive. Until recently most of our energy demands have been satisfied by our reliance on fossil fuels
Renewable Energy
Government Targets
The requirement for climate action and energy security has led to an increased focus on renewable energy generation in Ireland. The transition to a low carbon electricity system, based on renewable energy and storage, is a key pillar of Project Ireland 2040 – National Planning Framework¹. Underpinning this, is our obligation to increase renewable energy from 30% to 80% by 2030. It is recognised that wind energy is a viable option for Ireland’s transition to renewable electricity, whilst strengthening our energy security and meeting EU climate targets.
TRENDS IN THE SECTOr
In 2023 renewables accounted for 47%, (an increase from 39% in 2022) as reported by the EPA. Per capita, Ireland is among the top five countries globally for installed wind energy. Onshore wind, alongside solar energy, is set to play a continued role in decarbonising the electricity sector over the next five years¹.
KEY TARGETS
To achieve the target set by our Climate Action Plan, up to 8 GW onshore and 5 GW offshore wind must be connected to the grid by 2030.
| Target | 2025 | 2030 |
| Renewable Electricity Share | 50% | 80% |
| Onshore Wind | 6 GW | 9 GW |
| Solar Up to | 5 GW | 8 GW |
| Offshore Wind | At least 5 GW | |
| New Flexible Gas Plant | At least 2 GW | |
| Demand Side Flexibility | 15-20% | 20-30% |
MEASURES AND ACTIONS
There are significant challenges ahead for the electricity sector. The sector will play a central role in leading the decarbonisation of heat, transport and industry, all of which are heavily reliant on fossil fuels for their energy requirements. Clean, renewable electricity is key to achieving the targets as set out in the Climate Action Plan 2024.
There is no single action that will achieve these targets, what is required is to implement transformational policies, measures and actions, along with societal change to increase the deployment of renewable energy generation.
eMISSIONS PROFILE
Ireland is projected to achieve a reduction of up to 29% in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to a target of 51 per cent, when the impact of the majority of actions outlined in Climate Action Plan 2024 is included.
In April 2023 the Effort Sharing Regulation was amended (EU 2023/857) and Ireland’s new 2030 target under the Effort Sharing Regulation is to limit its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 42 per cent by 2030.
References
- Government of Ireland (2018) Project Ireland 2040 – National Planning Framework available here.
- Government of Ireland (2023) Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23) Changing Ireland for the Better
- SEAI (2020) Renewable Energy in Ireland
- EPA