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Environmental Benefits
Environmental Benefits
Dublin Array’s Environmental Benefits
The Dublin Array project will help Ireland decarbonise its electricity supply and meet our climate goals of 70% RES-E by 2030, as well as continuing to help Ireland decarbonise for the lifetime of the project (30+ years). Dublin Array will offset up to approximately 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 and will supply enough clean green electricity to supply the equivalent of up to 840,000 average Irish homes.
Climate Change: A National Emergency
In May 2019, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton said climate change has been “rightly” described as the greatest challenge facing humanity. “We’re reaching a tipping point in respect of climate deterioration,” he said. “Things will deteriorate very rapidly unless we move very swiftly and the window of opportunity to do that is fast closing.”
Ireland is having increasing numbers of weather events caused by climate change, with coastal areas being particularly impacted. There have been an increasing number of climate events that have affected Ireland in the last 34 years (see below) which demonstrates a clear emerging trend.
Dublin Array’s Environmental Benefits
The Dublin Array project will help Ireland decarbonise its electricity supply and meet our climate goals of 70% RES-E by 2030, as well as continuing to help Ireland decarbonise for the lifetime of the project (30+ years). Dublin Array will offset up to approximately 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 and will supply enough clean green electricity to supply the equivalent of up to 840,000 average Irish homes.
Climate Change: A National Emergency
In May 2019, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton said climate change has been “rightly” described as the greatest challenge facing humanity. “We’re reaching a tipping point in respect of climate deterioration,” he said. “Things will deteriorate very rapidly unless we move very swiftly and the window of opportunity to do that is fast closing.”
Ireland is having increasing numbers of weather events caused by climate change, with coastal areas being particularly impacted. There have been an increasing number of climate events that have affected Ireland in the last 34 years (see below) which demonstrates a clear emerging trend.
Figure: Timeline of Major Climatic Events
Source: Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Climate Change Action Plan 2019-2024
Fluvial (River) Flooding: Occurs when rivers and streams break their banks and water flows out onto the adjacent low-lying areas (the natural floodplains).
Pluvial (Rainfall) Flooding: Occurs when the amount of rainfall exceeds the capacity of urban storm water drainage systems or the ground to absorb it.
Rapidly Growing Population
There is a rapidly increasing number of residents in Ireland, with the population set to increase by just under 900,000 by 2040 (Prospects for Irish Regions and Counties: Scenarios and Implications, ESRI, December 2017)
There is also an increasing number of businesses, including a growing number of technology companies requiring energy-intensive data centres. All of this is creating a large and growing demand for electricity.
Despite this huge demand for electricity, there is currently no renewable electricity supply of scale produced in the Greater Dublin Array.
National Climate Action
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill was published in March 2021 and proposes to enshrine in law the previous and future Climate Action Plans prepared by Government including a legal commitment to meet the target of zero carbon by 2050.
The 2019 Climate Action Plan committed to a target of 70% of the national electricity supply to be provided by renewables by 2030, and for at least 3.5GW of this to be provided by offshore wind.
The Programme for Government, published on the 29th October 2020, increased the figure for offshore wind to 5GW, which will be included in the next Climate Action Plan.
The Dublin Array project will help to supply renewable electricity to one of the country’s largest areas of consumption, helping to address the climate crisis and aiding in Ireland meeting its legal carbon reduction targets and thus avoiding paying additional fees to the EU for missing these targets.
Rapidly Growing Population
There is a rapidly increasing number of residents in Ireland, with the population set to increase by just under 900,000 by 2040 (Prospects for Irish Regions and Counties: Scenarios and Implications, ESRI, December 2017)
There is also an increasing number of businesses, including a growing number of technology companies requiring energy-intensive data centres. All of this is creating a large and growing demand for electricity.
Despite this huge demand for electricity, there is currently no renewable electricity supply of scale produced in the Greater Dublin Array.
National Climate Action
The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill was published in March 2021 and proposes to enshrine in law the previous and future Climate Action Plans prepared by Government including a legal commitment to meet the target of zero carbon by 2050.
The 2019 Climate Action Plan committed to a target of 70% of the national electricity supply to be provided by renewables by 2030, and for at least 3.5GW of this to be provided by offshore wind.
The Programme for Government, published on the 29th October 2020, increased the figure for offshore wind to 5GW, which will be included in the next Climate Action Plan.
The Dublin Array project will help to supply renewable electricity to one of the country’s largest areas of consumption, helping to address the climate crisis and aiding in Ireland meeting its legal carbon reduction targets and thus avoiding paying additional fees to the EU for missing these targets.