Energy use declines by 8.8% during pandemic 

Total energy consumption overall fell by 8.8% against a backdrop of a 5.4% contraction of the economy. Picture: Larry Cummins

Energy-related CO2 emissions fell by 11.5% in 2020, mainly due to lower consumption of oil-related transport. The figure is the most significant yearly reduction since the peak of the financial crash.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) national energy balance report found that the lower demand for oil contributed to the fall off of 4.3 million tonnes, as the Covid-19 pandemic took root in all facets of life.

Total energy consumption overall fell by 8.8% against a backdrop of a 5.4% contraction of the economy, the SEAI said, with transport energy on its own down by more than a quarter.

Oil-product use decreased by 16.5%, which the SEAI said was the largest annual reduction observed to date. The two-thirds drop in jet kerosene use for international aviation was the single largest reduction in oil-product use, it said.

Diesel and petrol use to power vehicles on the road were down 13.6% and 25.9%.

Emissions from private car use were down by 21%, or 1.3 million tonnes of CO2, and emissions from heavy goods vehicles were down by 8.8%, or 0.2 million tonnes.

The drop in emissions from fossil fuel-powered energy seems to be short-lived however, with the SEAI saying provisional data for 2021 suggests that road diesel and petrol use, and their related CO2 emissions, have returned to close to pre-pandemic.

This can be attributed to the gradual easing of Covid-19 restrictions and commuters and industry returning to patterns of old, the data suggests.

Renewable energy sources generated 42% of all electricity in 2020, up from 7% in 2005. Emissions from electricity generation declined by 0.6 million tonnes in 2020, despite growth in electricity demand, the SEAI said.

This was because emissions from peat-fired power fell by 49.5% or 1.1 million tonnes of CO2, due mostly to two of the three peat power stations being offline for half the year, the body said. The reduction in electricity generated from peat was made up for largely by increased zero-carbon renewable generation.

However, heat derived from renewables flatlined at 6.3%, well below the 2020 target of 10%.

Emissions from residential heating increased by 9.1%, or 0.6 million tonnes, and the sector was responsible for more than half of all emissions from heating.

SEAI chief executive William Walsh said the 2020 Energy Balance confirms the EU transport target was reached and came very close on the national renewable electricity target. 

"It also confirms that we have not reached our overall 2020 renewable energy target, and that we achieved just half of our renewable heating and cooling target. Now more than ever, it is essential that we accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, and increase sustainable energy practices across all sectors," he said.