Energy infrastructure

Norway has vast hydro resources - there is nothing like that available here as anyone with a basic knowledge of geography will tell u

Spin, what are you on about?

Take 2020 fuel mix. 43% renewables and 50% natural gas. Do you seriously think electricity would be cheaper now if wind didn't exist and the grid was 93% gas?

Include EU fines for having a >90% fossil fuel mix as well.

Your labouring under the fallacy that ever MW of wind replaces a MW of gas - showing your ignorance of how gas plants and basic load works. There is also the matter of windfarms taking power from the grid in low wind conditions to prevent their turbines ceasing up and the truck load of RESS money they get. You will also find the highest energy prices in the EU are associated with grids with the most installed wind capacity like here, Germany and Denmark.

What alternative do the ESB have, realistically?

The only other zero carbon source is legally prohibited in this country, and the ESB do not make law.

Yes but the point is, using the ESBs plan as a signal of the benefits of renewables isnt really accurate. They are operating within a strict set of conditions that state basically they have no other option but to add more and more renewable capacity, because nuclear is illegal, the government have committed to 2030 and 2050 targets, and ultimately it doesn't matter to ESB if the price per watt goes way up. Their remit is generation capacity within the co2 emission constraints (and Irish law). They have no price motivation.

Its not an endorsement of how great or cheap renewables are, its just the ESB having no other choice to try meet targets.

I know that it will never happen as the anti-rural rump in government won't allow it but a grant to install solar panels and small wind turbines in the gardens and farmyards or rural houses with a guaranteed buyback off the ESB would do more for grid stability than any pie in the sky ,twenty year in planning/objection type projects that every wing nut is pushing

Except the percentages he quotes are based on MWh figures. Not MW. Big difference, MW is measure of instanteous power, MWh is measure of electricity consumed. So "replacement" doesn't even come into it.

I don't follow your other point about "preventing ceasing (sic)".....I've worked on a lot of wind turbines over the years, and haven't seen any import power to a significant degree. Turbines are perfectly happy simply idling in low wind, with a very small parasitic load measured in tens of kW, which is basically just used to power the yaw motors to allow the turbine to follow the wind (when windspeed increases).

Where has it been said by the government that the electricity generation sector must be net-zero by 2050? I can only find statements that the economy across all sectors must be net zero.

From what I read, it's by the end of 2050, not the start, so 12 more months than I had thought.

Plus net-zero would mean that our exports of any renewable surplus could be used to offset against any non-renewable generation even after 2050.

So it would be perfectly ok to generate some of our electricity from gas during calmer periods as long as we exported more during the year?

In the real world?? LOL, the irony of that statement from the windbluffers. As for the ESB, this is the reality of their record in this area

https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/513451/pressure-on-esb-to-act-over-mass-fish-kills-at-power-station-near-limerick.html

And clowns here want to let them loose on our Marine Environment!!

You misread the post I was responding too so none of that is relevant unless you actually believe that every bit of wind power produced replaces its exact equivalent of gas.🙄

Pity that has FA relevance to operation issues and costs on the grid imposed by accommodating the greenwash fantasies of your type

Industry starting up, Deliveries to supermarkets start around then, Ovens would be heating up for deli etc.

I still wonder about the logic of completely scapping money point and tarbert - they both have their own stores of oil and aren't dependant on pipelines - just keep them mothballed with a skeleton staff,and run them the bare minimum - for a few years at least , and I know they'd take days to get up to operating temperature,

Better to be looking at it than for it .. ..

Cos i live in the real world outside your greenwashed fairy land. Your ignorance of the best performing grids in the EU in terms of costs and carbon outputs makes a mockery of your BS on here.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/millions-offered-to-future-gas-plants-in-bid-to-meet-growing-demand-for-energy-41315167.html

Well standing charge is supposed to go towards the meter and costs of providing the line - Vat is vat ( pure tax ) , and the public service levy is supposed to cover things like turf power stations ( now gone) and any extra for wind energy ..

That renewable part should drop significantly as wind should be cheaper than (currently ) very expensive gas -

As (if) established onshore wind continues to get cheaper (as it becomes more established ? And hopefully costs come down ? ) you should see you see the pso levy being roved from some of the wind energy , although it'll probably be replaced by levys for grid level batteries and off shore wind ..

I think if they're going to pay a subsidy for solar it should include an element of battery storage ,and not a straight pay per unit produced - ( which will be very heavily loaded towards midday especially on cheaper fixed arrays ) , as well as obviously very seasonal ...

But yeah , I wonder about the economics of large scale solar in Ireland - just because the panels are cheap ... the grid it's feeding isn't ..