Energy infrastructure

They do but I was referring to the MAN gas engines that were hundreds of tons each and proved quite difficult to bring to their location. I think it was around Grange Castle.

Yes they absolutely should have a combination of wind and solar on site.

I showed you the actual measured data for wind-energy generation over the last 12 months, which clearly peaks over the Winter months, and you're blathering on about high-pressure systems? You are fixating on short-term detail, because it's the only way your argument sounds plausible. Mistakenly thinking that a lack of exploitation is a lack of resource doesn’t help either.

The static-world mindset you show is telling. Yes, right now Ireland lacks interconnection capacity, with just 1000 MW online. (9% of peak demand). However, that is only the situation right now. There is another 1200 MW under construction, to be commissioned early next year (500MW) and in 2026 (700MW, to France). Yesterday, the UK gave approval for another 1250 MW of interconnection projects with Ireland. Maybe you’re right, and nothing will ever change to relieve Ireland of its dearth of interconnection capacity, but the overwhelming probability is that you are, again, wrong on a matter of fact.

I showed a graph which refuted your assertion that wind power was lacking in the cold winter months (your words), and you’re still trying to claim that those facts are wrong. Yes, there might be a day with no wind here and there in that period. You alone think this is a big deal, but it really is not - on those days, we’ll use stored energy, import surplus wind electricity from somewhere else that has some (you know different parts of Europe have different weather, right?). We could also import nuclear energy, or… we would burn some fossil fuel. Yes, fossil fuel. Nobody is saying we’ll never burn gas (look at the exact wording of our climate commitments).

So, let me be clear about this: Wind alone will not solve our energy issues; we will need a lot of storage, and the rare intervention of fossil-fuel, or the import of energy from elsewhere. That import will need more interconnection than we have, but those are being built. Against this, we will also produce large surpluses of wind energy that we will export through those same interconnects.

The only pipe-dream is the one that says we can keep burning gas day in, day out. That’s what you’re offering as an argument? Isn’t it? Or is your position just that wind isn’t the perfect answer to all our problems. If that’s the case, then congratulations: you’re correct. Take your meaningless victory and enjoy it.

“Third Parties overseas” refers to fellow members of the European Union, to whom we will also be providing power during times of surplus. (Right now, even with our small capacity, we have to curtail wind input due to a lack of anywhere to use it). True partnerships strengthen nations. I understand how you’d be upset about this, given that your country put its energy security in the hands of Vladimir Putin, but that’s exactly the situation we want to avoid. Energy security was the reason why the UK government (not Ireland) decided to grant permission for an extra 1200 MW of interconnection between Great Britain and Ireland (two interconnectors, one North and a bigger one South). Why do they want to connect to Ireland to aid their energy security? Because we are set to become a net exporter of energy over the next ten years.

Again, your thinking is based on a strange idea of a steady, unchanging state. The real world is far more complex and dynamic, its structures and demands are constantly changing. For example, nuclear power wasn’t commercially viable at all (without defence-spending subsidies) until it suddenly was, and now it’s not viable again. The world changes, technology changes with it. Energy storage is being commercialised at an unprecedented rate, specifically to meet the demands of renewable energy. The technology existed for years, but there was no need for it. That’s how it always happens: inventions don’t get commercialised until there’s a need for them. Guess how many years elapsed between Bertha Benz’s first motor-car trip and the first commercial filling station for cars opening…

You'll be fairly mad when you find out Priti Patel could actually have cut off gas supply to the island.

You are correct that is a national security issue that should be corrected by harvesting our own natural resources.

Well, that wasn't worth waiting for.

The figures I have, and those you have, are for generation. Curtailment due to high winds or lack of asynchonous input capacity doesn't affect those figures, so mentioning it is just another red herring. You are also assuming "low wind" from low inputs.

You seem wedded to this idiotic idea that if wind cannot priduce all of our electricity, then it is a complete failure. I've already explained why this position is wrong.

Tell is all, please, what should Ireland do to improve it's current energy infrastructure? You're full of objections, so what's the solution?

(by the way, what Eamon Ryan wants or does not want is irrelevant as he has retired from politics.)

Never mind bread. They want to eat cake and not pay for it.

Still noting a distinct lack of any actual solution beyond the planned by the state LNG Terminals