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Posted 3 years ago | 2 minute read
Irish grid primed for 75% renewables
Up to 75% of electricity flowing onto the Irish grid at any point in time can now come from variable renewable sources, EirGrid has announced.
EirGrid had previously imposed a cap of 70% on the amount of variable renewable generation on the grid at a given time. In a statement issued on 7 April the grid operator said that following a successful 11-month trial and having overcome “major technical challenges” associated with integrating electricity from wind farms, solar farms and interconnectors that link it with other countries, this has now been raised to 75%.
According to EirGrid, the power system successfully ran at between 70% and 75% variable renewable energy for a total of 232 hours during the trial period. There were several new all-island wind energy records set during the 11 months, including the current record of 4584MW on 5 February 2022.
The Irish government has committed to increasing the share of renewables electricity up to 80% by 2030. EirGrid said work will now begin on increasing the figure to 95% by 2030 through its Shaping Our Electricity Future programme of work to achieve this target.
Managing Director UK & Ireland Mark Davis commented:
“The long-term objective is to transition to a net-zero carbon, reliable, secure, flexible and resource-efficient energy services at the least possible cost for society by mid-century. News that the grid can accommodate 75% variable generation marks a hugely significant milestone and a critical step in the decarbonisation of the electricity sector on the island of Ireland.
“We are moving in the right direction. But, if we are going to decarbonise the sector and meet our net zero targets, digitalisation and technologies that enable flexible assets whether on the generation or the demand side will be crucial.”