Ireland's Energy Future

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While introducing a Government paper outlining Ireland’s energy future, Minister for Communications and Energy Alex White said: “Customers will have to pay more in their energy bills as Ireland moves away from fossil fuels in the coming years”.

According to a White Paper on Energy published today by Minister for Communications and Energy Alex White, Ireland will use no fossil fuels by the end of the century. I would imagine that plan might be helped by the fact that most of the fossil fuels will be used up by then.

The minister said that the policy paper builds on the ambition of the recent Paris Agreement on global climate change.

The Irish “White Paper”outlines aspirations for long-term energy goals and proposed strategies for Ireland. Mr White also said in his statement that Ireland was still dependent on fossil fuels to the extent of 92 per cent.

The paper proposed over 90 lines of action. Among the big and bold proposals are reference to “improved domestic grant schemes and financing options for energy efficiency upgrades” and “a new support scheme for the development of renewable energy technologies”.

0% Disposable Income Families & Energy Costs?

I sincerely hope that the planning fully considers how carbon taxes and energy costs impinge on the less well off. “You cannot get blood from a turnip” and low income families cannot just go out and buy expensive heating systems – taking advantage of grants etc. There need to be a LOW-TECH and LOW-COST strategy applied in addition to the high flying ones.

I hope also that any grant schemes would consider the relative carbon value of the investment. The huge grande previously made for geothermal heating systems, I am fairly sure, did not factor in the carbon costs in terms of the heavy reliance on non-green electricity, or indeed failed to properly factor the carbon costs of the machinery and its regular servicing and replacement.

Would the Minister consider?

Stoves?

Additionally, I hope that low-tech green solutions might come into the focus for the planners. Solutions like encouraging the installation of simple and very inexpensive stoves to replace open fires would be one very important investment with HUGE long-term pay back, and very low maintenance costs.

A Massive up-scaling of timber production in Ireland? 

 

Another long-term and perhaps initially costly investment would be in a massive up-scaling of forestry in fast growing timber to feed a wood-based solid fuel industry.

Investment in Super-Hard Fused Wood Briquette Production. 

 

Along with massively developing timber production, the Minister might also consider investment in a wood-fuel production industry to produce primarily super-hard fused wood logs / briquettes, but also wood pellets.

Fused wood briquettes are capable of fully replacing coal as a fuel for stoves and ranges.
(1) They form coals and can burn for up to 10 hours,
(2) They releases heat in a pattern not too unlike coal,
(3) They are easily stored and handled,
(4) They have a lower creosote and particulate release to the atmosphere.
(5) They are a 100% carbon neutral fuel.

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