Safe, reliable energy storage is the key to delivering cleaner, more resilient, and more efficient power systems in Ireland – and it is this infrastructure that will enable Ireland to meet its 70×30 ambitions to source 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
“Storage facilities will allow Ireland to harness offshore and onshore wind and solar energy, adding capacity to the grid for immediate domestic use, while creating an energy surplus. Reserve supplies will help to ensure stability and energy security, driving prices down but also creating a surplus that can be exported to other markets.”
Despite the fact that energy storage is regarded as relatively new in Ireland, the 2020 goal of 40 per cent renewable electricity and energy storage project developers have been successful in winning contracts in EirGrid’s DS3 market.
Baringa Partners show that energy storage is a game changer for Ireland and Northern Ireland’s renewable energy ambitions in terms of its ability to manage renewable oversupply, reduce CO2 emissions, provide low carbon capacity and reduce costs to consumers.
In the absence of renewable storage options, gas-turbines currently supply most of Ireland’s dispatchable power generation capacity, though the lack of gas storage facilities on the island is a considerable concern with regards to energy security.
Kilathmoy was Ireland’s first battery-based energy storage project and the project’s 11 MW storage solution is the fastest-responding grid-connected battery in the world. Fluence also supplied the technology for Kilroot power station in Antrim, which was the first commercial battery-based energy storage project in Europe.