Ireland Faces Challenges in Meeting 2030 Renewable Energy Targets, Urgent Policy Action Needed

The latest National Energy Projects 2024 report from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) shows that Ireland is expected to struggle to achieve its renewable energy share target under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) by 2030. The report points out that the deployment of renewable energy technologies such as solar photovoltaics, onshore wind power, and offshore wind power is facing significant delays, which may result in Ireland failing to achieve its 2030 goals set in its 2024 Climate Action Plan (CAP24).

Specifically, there is a significant gap in the goals of solar photovoltaics. According to the current measures (WEM) scenario forecast, the country's installed photovoltaic capacity will reach 2.2GW by 2025 and 5.7GW by 2030, significantly lower than the targets of 5GW by 2025 and 8GW by 2030 set by CAP24. Even with an increase in rooftop photovoltaic capacity (WAM scenario), it can only reach 6.5GW by 2030. According to data from the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA), as of June 2024, Ireland's cumulative installed photovoltaic capacity exceeded 1.18GW.

In addition, the report also points out that besides photovoltaics, there is a risk of technology not being completed on schedule. The target for offshore wind power may be limited, with only 2.7GW expected to be achieved in the WEM scenario and 4GW in the WAM scenario, both below the 5GW target. The report also pointed out that progress in areas such as biomethane, electric vehicles, district heating, heat pumps, and building energy efficiency upgrades has been slow.

The SEAI report clearly warns that if these risks are achieved, it will lead to the inability to achieve targets, increased greenhouse gas emissions, a decrease in the proportion of renewable energy, and an increase in energy demand. The report author believes that the current sustainable energy policy proposals are progressing too slowly to meet climate and energy obligations by 2030 and beyond.

The report proposes that in order to achieve its goals by 2030, Ireland must immediately introduce stronger policies.
The main policy recommendations include:
Investing in infrastructure and services to support people's more energy-efficient lifestyles;
Restricting the establishment of users who will increase their electricity consumption before 2030;
Reduce wasteful consumption behavior;
Building a policy environment that paves the way for sustainable circular economy goods and services;
Expand the target horizon, not only focusing on 2030, but also achieving the ultimate goals of sustainability, net zero, and circular economy.