IRELAND'S ENERGY POLICY: PHASING OUT COAL AND TRANSITIONING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

• Datum: 2025
• Hauptverfasser: Tkach , D., Marusynets , M.
• Format: Artikel
• Sprache: Ukrainian
• Veröffentlicht: Institute of Renewable Energy National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine 2025
• Schlagworte: UN General Assembly; European Union; Ireland; energy policy; coal phase-out; renewable energy sources.
• Online Zugang: https://ve.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/550
• Назва журналу: Vidnovluvana energetika

Ireland is boldly disrupting the status quo by announcing a complete phase-out of coal by 2025 and becoming a global leader in renewable energy (RE) growth rates. But is its path to a "green" future as cloudless as it seems? This article examines Ireland's ambitious goal: achieving 80% electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030, focusing on wind and solar power. We analyze the key challenges of this rapid transition. The main paradox lies in how to integrate massive volumes of variable wind and solar generation into the island's isolated power grid without reliable baseload capacity or pumped hydro storage. A critical question emerges: could dependence on imported natural gas as a "temporary" backup become a new trap, undermining decarbonization and energy independence, especially against the backdrop of geopolitical instability and LNG price volatility?  The article examines technological and market barriers, particularly the urgent need for advanced grid balancing technologies (large-scale batteries, DS3 program) and deep electricity market reform to ensure stability and investment. Current results show striking contrasts: Ireland demonstrates world-record renewable energy growth rates (37% of generation in 2023), but simultaneously record dependence on gas as backup, leading to constant risks of capacity shortages and high energy prices for consumers. This is a direct but steep price for energy transformation.  The conclusion provokes discussion: Ireland has become a living laboratory for rapid "green" transition. Its success or failure has global significance, showing the world whether it is possible at all to achieve such aggressive decarbonization goals without traditional reliable baseload generation (like nuclear or large hydroelectric plants), relying only on variable renewables, "temporary" gas, and future technologies that have not yet reached commercial scale. Does Ireland face true energy independence based on its own renewable resources, or will it find itself in a new, no less dangerous form of dependence on imported fuels and climate conditions? The future of "green" Ireland is being decided now, and its consequences will resonate far beyond its borders – this is an energy experiment whose success is far from guaranteed, and whose failure could serve as a warning to others.