Alongside greater energy security and lower emissions, electrification also has other advantages for Ireland’s energy supply.
Imagine a scenario where a business, or even an EV car owner, could help support the safe operation of the electricity grid by increasing or reducing their power consumption when needed.
Vehicle-to-grid technology, for example, enables EV owners to sell surplus energy back to the electricity grid and could soon be used in Ireland.
And in Britain there are already innovative systems in place where EV owners can get their cars charged up at extremely low prices, and even for free, when there is excess power on the electricity grid.
Getting paid
Large energy users can already get paid if they are willing and able to reduce their electricity demand at times when the grid is particularly under pressure.
The more we see large energy users electrify the more they can do to support the grid while unlocking a completely new income for their business.
Electrification offers a new customer base for electricity supply and this can help with managing curtailment and constraints in the market; it can make use of the existing grid infrastructure and make use of electricity generation that would otherwise go to waste.
Ireland is one of the most fossil fuel-reliant countries in Europe and we need to go beyond just cleaning up the electricity sector to doing something about how we use energy across our economy.
Working together
By expanding the electrification of industries using the highest volumes of oil and gas, we can help meet our climate targets, reduce emissions, strengthen the renewable electricity sector and ensure real energy security for Ireland.
We all must work together to put in place the right policies and the right technologies to electrify our heat and transport sectors.
We must invest in the electricity grid, prioritise flexible access to the grid and create a broad policy framework to accelerate the growth of electrification in Ireland.
That is Ireland Electrified.
Photo by Fré Sonneveld on Unsplash