Energy created by renewables to overtake coal as largest source of electricity

Ireland's renewable energy sector has long warned that the country must be ready for the renewable revolution coming.

Energy created by renewables now has "unprecedented momentum", with the next five years set to add as much as it did over the past 20, or the same as China's current annual output.

The upbeat picture is outlined by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which said in its Renewables 2022 report that capacity is set to almost double by 2027, overtaking coal as the largest source of electricity during the period.

Disruption to energy supply driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the IEA reevaluating its own projections, with it now forecasting growth that is 30% higher than it envisaged just a year ago.

In Ireland, renewable potential has been long touted, but urgently needs ramping up to avoid even further squeezing of the country's energy security and dependence on fossil fuels, a major report commissioned by Friends of the Earth (FOE) and carried out by University College Cork (UCC) academics revealed this week.

Lead author of the report, professor in sustainable energy and systems modelling, Hannah Daly, said: "The source of Ireland’s energy insecurity and high prices are caused by overdependence on fossil fuels, which are also the main cause of the climate emergency. Energy security measures must be aligned with climate policy, which requires rapid reductions in the consumption of all fossil fuels this decade.

“The good news is that energy transition measures — like building domestic renewables, improving energy efficiency, reducing car dependency and district heating — all support energy security, lower bills, and bring wider societal and economic benefits.”

Renewable revolution

Ireland's renewable energy sector has long warned that the country must be ready for the renewable revolution coming.

Wind Energy Ireland chief executive Noel Cunniffe said last month that the country needs to attract billions of euros of investment in the next decade to build the onshore and offshore wind farms that will end a dependency on fossil fuel gas.

The IEA projects that renewables are set to account for over 90% of global electricity expansion over the next five years, overtaking coal to become the largest source of global electricity by early 2025.

“Renewables were already expanding quickly, but the global energy crisis has kicked them into an extraordinary new phase of even faster growth as countries seek to capitalise on their energy security benefits," IEA executive director Fatih Birol said.

“This is a clear example of how the current energy crisis can be a historic turning point towards a cleaner and more secure energy system. Renewables’ continued acceleration is critical to help keep the door open to limiting global warming to 1.5C.”

The 2015 Paris Agreement set the 1.5C temperature increase limit goal that scientists say is necessary to avoid the worst fallout from climate change.