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IAE's Review of Ireland's energy policy document

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  • 25-06-2009 1:19pm
    #1
    probe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,055 ✭✭✭


    The Irish Academy of Engineering recently issued a review of Ireland’s energy policy. The documents has “ESB fingerprints” all over it. They bleat about the reduced demand for electricity in Ireland (in line with the economic activity – which is no surprise). While they make some useful points (the need to invest in better insulation and more efficient use of energy generally), much of the document reads like a campaign to stop renewable energy systems taking hold in the country.

    Ireland has high cost electricity mainly because of the large role that carbon based energy inputs play in the fuel mix. This would suggest to me that Ireland will continue to have increasingly expensive electricity as oil demand comes closer to exceeding supply as the global economy picks up. Energy planning is a long-term game.

    It seems to me that they should instead be talking about a plan to remove Ireland’s antiquated, high carbon generation capacity which has well exceeded its useful life.

    They go on to criticize the plan to install smart metering (which in my view is not dissimilar to energy conservation measures). Smart meters reduce peak demand for electricity – which allows a country to remove its dirtiest and oldest generation kit from the system – or at least mothball them.

    Finally the report is against the idea of Ireland adopting the electric car! Even with Ireland’s dirty electricity supply, the efficiency of the electric car / plug in hybrid is akin to an energy conservation measure. As Ireland’s electricity gets cleaner, the benefits of electrification of transport will be even greater.

    The report also advocates the nuclear option. Literally. France is investing billions to move away from conventional nuclear electricity generation – because they can see the writing on the wall in the medium/long term in terms of uranium supplies. Meanwhile the behind the times IAE lot want Ireland to get into the nuclear business!

    http://www.iae.ie/site_media/pressroom/documents/2009/Jun/24/Review_of_Irelands_Energy_Policy_-_June_2009.pdf


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