Energy related emissions dropped by a record 8% last year but higher reductions are needed, SEAI warns
A record amount of wind power was generated in 2023, with 11.67 terawatt hours contributed to the grid.
Energy related emissions were down 8% last year, which is a record rate of reduction, but the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has warned given changing patterns of energy usage even higher reductions will be needed to meet climate goals.
On Tuesday, the SEAI published its 2023 Energy Balance progress report, which provides the breakdown of energy demand last year and the associated energy-related emissions.
The report shows electricity usage in Ireland increased by 4.4% over the year with an extra 1.32 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity needed, of which 1.06 TWh was needed to keep up with increased energy demands from data centres in Ireland.
Data centres alone accounted for 20% of the country’s energy demand, with residential homes accounting for 25.5%. This increase in electricity demand outpaced the connection of new renewable energy sources.
In terms of power generation, last year saw a record amount of electricity generated from wind, 11.67 TWh, as well as solar, 0.65 TWh. Rooftop solar panels generated 0.18 TWh of electricity, up 96% on the previous year.
In the transport sector, the report shows 91.9% of Ireland's road transport demand came from fossil fuels. The aviation sector also saw the highest ever demand for jet fuel, with 1.35 billion litres used for international flights last year.
The use of coal, peat, oil, and natural gas in heat production all dropped in 2023. However, the report said there is still much room for improvement, because 67.7% of residential energy demand in Ireland in 2023 was satisfied through the burning of these fossil fuels.
The amount of renewable ambient heat provided to Irish homes by heat pumps increased by 30.6%.
According to the SEAI, provisional data for transport sector emissions so far this year is indicating a slight reduction. Overall, the data shows Ireland is currently on track to exceed our carbon budget by 2025.
Director of research and policy insights at the SEAI Margie McCarthy said “we are falling far short” of where we need to be when it comes to reducing emissions.
“We need to turn ambition into action to meet our national climate obligations and avoid significant compliance costs against legally binding EU targets,” she said.
“With the data we have to hand, it appears that we will marginally exceed the first carbon budget for electricity, leaving an already tight budget slightly reduced for the second period to 2030,” Ms McCarthy said.
“The situation with transport will be very challenging as we will likely exceed the first transport sectoral ceiling by some considerable amount, perhaps requiring a halving of annual transport emissions through the second period.”
According to the SEAI’s provisional data for the first six months of the year, so far the electricity sector’s emissions are down 17.2% compared to last year while transport sector emissions are down 1.3%.
The drop in emissions from the electricity sector was mainly driven by increased use of imported electricity along with an increased use of Irish renewables for electricity generation.
However, residential emissions from gas and kerosene were up 5.1% and 5.6%, respectively.
Ms McCarthy said the good news was that “we already have the technical solutions to deliver on climate obligations, we just need to deploy them at sufficient scale and pace”.
She said there needed to be focus on renewable energy generation, eliminating oil and gas boilers and replacing them with heat pumps, as well as support to individuals to “reduce their transport demand, providing reliable and safe public transport, encouraging more walking, and cycling, and continuing to support the shift to electric cars”.
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