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Alternative Energy In Ireland

Posted by Ron Holden | 07 January 2010

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Though Ireland has to depend on imports for meeting 90% of its current energy needs, it is currently aiming to produce 15% of the nation's electricity needs through wind farming by 2010. However according to views expressed by universities and research institutions, Ireland's ocean wave energy could be the real driving force for the country's economy and can go a long way in making the country self-dependent.

In a move to further develop the country's efforts to generate energy from ocean waves, a new testing site has been identified about two miles off the coast of An Spideal in County Galway Bay, popularly referred to as the Wavebob. According to Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of Ireland's Marine Institute, the most powerful ocean waves of the world can be seen off the west coast in Ireland. With this as the backdrop it can easily be presumed that in future Ireland could become the world leader in the technology and implementation of harnessing ocean power for alternate energy generation.

According to David Taylor, CEO of the Sustainable Energy Initiative, or SEI, ocean energy is one of the most promising alternate energy resources of the future and it could very soon help Ireland with its electricity needs reducing its dependence on fossil fuels significantly.

The other development is with the termination of sugar beet industry, there is an increased opportunity to use Irish land resources for other purposes including production of bio-energy. This is confirmed by Padraig Walshe, the president of the Irish Farmers Association. The current scenario in Ireland is that renewable energy sources can meet only 2% of the country's total energy demand. Because of low return on investment from energy crops, it is acting as impedance to the growth of the industry. Of course, energy from biomass should be further researched by the country to get maximum benefits.

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