MEP Kelly Meeting highlights Irish Global leadership on Renewable Electricity

Seán Kelly MEP and leader of Fine Gael in the European Parliament has commended Irish efforts in the Renewable Electricity sector, singling out Ireland as a world leader in the field. Mr. Kelly’s comments came ahead of a meeting which he hosted yesterday (Wednesday) on creating a flexible power system to ensure the EU’s renewable ambition becomes a reality:

“The large scale integration of renewable energy into our system is of utmost importance if Ireland is to meet 2030 climate targets. EirGrid have set out a pathway for Ireland to achieve a level of 70% renewable electricity by 2030, something that would put us in a position of leadership globally.

“Integration of intermittent renewables at such as scale is not an easy feat. There will be a need for investment into the grid to facilitate greater flexibility and system stability so that the required emissions cuts can be made, while at the same time ensuring a secure energy supply at an affordable cost for consumers.

“Through our grid operator, Ireland is at the cutting edge of innovation and ambition in terms of integrating renewable electricity. While we have rightly been criticised at EU-level for not meeting many of the climate targets set out, on the integration of renewable electricity, we are ahead of the curve.

“The challenge for the coming years will be to ensure that citizens feel the benefit, and are empowered to contribute to, the 70% target. This will be done through community energy projects, and the large-scale roll-out of distributed technologies such as rooftop solar. Citizens can and should be at the centre of our renewable energy transformation”, he concluded.

Photo (L-R): MEP Sean Kelly, John Lowry (EUSysflex Project Director, EirGrid), Kirsten Glennung (Project Officer, E.DSO), Hans Van Steen (Acting Director, Renewables & Energy Efficiency, DG Energy, European Commission), Uroš Salobir (Director, Strategic Innovation Department, Eles & Vice-Chair, ENTSO-E’s Research & Development Committee) and Frédéric Simon (Editor, Euractiv).