"Green" policies are destroying this country

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120299192#Comment_120299192

Privatisation did.

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120298784#Comment_120298784

What’s to say energy generation wouldn’t be de carbonised quicker under state owned conditions.

Again privatisation= profit for shareholders,

Public ownership= maximum revenue for the state and potentially much lower electricity prices.

We are selling off our prized wind generation (that posters on here constantly trumpet) to private companies instead of nationalising this asset.

This will in no way result in lower prices.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120299277#Comment_120299277

Repeating the wrong thing over and over does not make it any less wrong

But hey, by all means, illustrate, with data and timelines, as to how opening up the electricity market to competition shows that privatization caused the energy price increase of the last year. Be sure to show in detail what elements of our energy generation system went from public ownership to private and when it happened. Then please show the causation from that time to the spike in energy prices over the last 12 months.

Keep in mind you'll have to do this and ignore the impact of the gas price spike. I'm very curious how you'll achieve this

I'm also very eager to see you answer the bit in bold because I can't find info on energy generation assets sold from public ownership to private i.e. privatization, but maybe you can. If you do, please share sources as I'd love to have a look.

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120299192#Comment_120299192

COVID policies folloed by economic sanctions on Russia gas?

Pa ElGrande

Ireland rues mistakes of the past as it struggles to keep the lights on

Surging demand and insecure supply has left the country vulnerable indefinitely

<snip>

Rising demand at a time of insecure supply has started to trigger alarm bells as to how well the system can manage. Problems were apparent even before the acute energy crisis of the last 12 months.

There were eight “system alerts” between January 2020 and September 2021, indicating tight power supplies. 

In September 2021, Ireland had to block exports of electricity to Britain to preserve supplies on the island. That month, EirGrid, which operates its electricity grid, warned of a potential shortfall in coming years.

Its report predicted that about 1.6GW of generation would be retired in Ireland over the next five years and 600MW in Northern Ireland, as gas-fired power plants were phased out.

Remember demand hit 7000MW before Christmas here in Ireland with no wind or solar.

antoinolachtnai

Worth noting that this under capacity happened because a state company didn’t deliver on the capacity it had promised to deliver (under a contract with another state company).

ps200306

Our problem isn't privatisation. It's lack of competition. Inefficient renewables can't compete with the traditional alternatives so the playing field gets tilted in their favour.

Despite nearly 80% of actions completed in 2021, emissions are still rising

https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/climate-crisis/2023/02/28/ireland-seeing-rise-in-emissions-even-though-80-of-climate-action-targets-met/

However, all 3 party heads are aligned on the urgent need to do more, do it faster and make sure it has a bigger impact on emissions

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stated

“The climate crisis is unlike other challenges we have faced. It requires a rethink of how we work, travel, use our land and source our energy. In short, system change. Ireland is facing up to that generational challenge. While heartened by some progress made under the 2021 plan, he added that “we need to accelerate our work in this area and move much more quickly to implement agreed climate actions across all sectors. This is a moment of real opportunity. We can ensure warmer homes, cleaner air, fewer journeys, less time commuting, more remote and home working, more jobs and regional development. The 2023 Climate Action Plan will help us to achieve this and bring about new income, employment and investment opportunities,”

While the Tánaiste Michael Martin said

“We must act faster to address this, not only to achieve our international targets and our national legally binding commitments, but to improve our prospects and quality of life,”

While Eamonn Ryan followed up with

Green Party leader and Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan said the report indicated Ireland was making steady progress, “but the scale of the climate crisis means that we need to continue to respond this year and over following years with even more urgency, more innovation and more collaboration and partnership to ensure that climate action makes people’s lives not just more sustainable, but better and more viable.” He noted the need to implement changes in a way that is fair and equitable as “every sector, every place and every person matters in this transition”.

Its heartening to see such strong alignment across the 3 leaders. It remains to be seen if the upcoming appendix of actions to be released for CAP 2022 will drive further emission reductions and open up more opportunities for economic growth

To coincide with the burning restrictions, the NPWS are launching aerial monitoring to detect illegal burning. Hopefully should dissuade any illegal burning

https://www.independent.ie/news/environment/aerial-surveillance-launched-from-today-to-crack-down-on-wildlife-crime-as-hedgerow-cutting-banned-42364660.html

The Minister commented

"We are taking wildlife crime extremely seriously: 32 prosecutions were secured in 2022, there have been 2 successful ones so far in 2023 and there are a further 60 cases on hand. This is in addition to consequences to landowners for eligibility under the Basic Payment Scheme through cross-compliance with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/f3dba-statement-from-minister-noonan-on-the-start-of-the-nesting-season-march-1st/

Pa ElGrande

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120299912#Comment_120299912

You mean this crew, here is the part where panic sets in.

Currently, through our Shaping Our Electricity Future Roadmap, we have a plan to deliver at least 70% renewable electricity for the all-island power system. For this GCS 2022-2031, our forecast of renewable generation is aligned to 70% renewable electricity by 2030 for the median demand.

Achieving 80% renewable electricity will require a seismic shift in thinking, as the scale of the task is unprecedented and there are significant challenges in terms of deliverability, technical scarcities and economic considerations. source

In a further acknowledgement that the right information and expert advice is crucial to ensure the right decisions are made by govt, a new role and body are to be established, specifically a Government Science Advisor and a National Science Advice Forum

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/f343c-national-science-advice-forum-and-government-science-advisor/

This should go some way to ensuring that decisions and policies are guided by data and evidence as opposed to lobbying by vested interests

bluedex

Wow, this thread has gone to the dogs. Looks like it's been hijacked by some Green extremists.

ps200306

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301635#Comment_120301635

Despite nearly 80% of actions completed in 2021, emissions are still rising

Is the penny dropping that this was never any more than a paper exercise? If you had actually studied the list of actions many of them were nebulous, aspirational, trivial, or downright daft.

Its heartening to see such strong alignment across the 3 leaders.

It's stomach churning, actually. In fairness to Eamon Ryan, he's a swivel-eyed zealot and probably actually believes some of his own guff ... although not enough to curb his air travel emissions on his quest to "meet other world leaders" (😂😂😂). The other pair are populist hangers-on, without the cojones to challenge Ryan's insane twaddle.

It remains to be seen if the upcoming appendix of actions to be released for CAP 2022 will drive further emission reductions and open up more opportunities for economic growth

It won't. First, because unreliables don't work to reduce emissions. Second, because our ill-judged attempts will scupper the economy.

ps200306

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2023/0227/1359085-gas-networks-ireland-figures/

New figures from Gas Networks Ireland show that gas remained the main source of electricity generation in the first month of 2023, as it was for nine months of 2022. At times, gas powered electricity peaked at 80% and it never fell below 12%, Gas Network Ireland noted.

Mr. teddywinkles

Bigger cables will fix it lads.

https://news.sky.com/story/britons-paying-hundreds-of-millions-to-turn-off-wind-turbines-as-network-cant-handle-the-power-they-make-on-the-windiest-days-12822156

antoinolachtnai

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301652#Comment_120301652

No, not that company.

what does wind generation have to do with firm capacity? You are connecting up two things that are basically completely unrelated to prop up your (stupid and pretty fuzzy) argument.

ps200306

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7PHUMd7PYA

Why wind + hydrogen won't work.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120303574#Comment_120303574

Holy crap THAT.WAS.AWESOME haha

Funniest thing I've watched in ages

He did a second video, you should watch it, it's just as funny.

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120302815#Comment_120302815

It's taken 100 years to develop our current grid, based around centralized generation plants. Yet we have crackpots who reckon we can add 10's of GWs of renewables scattered around the country by 2030 and have the infrastructure in place to actually use the power. Not only do we need to build massive amounts of new power lines, but substations will need to be upgraded for high fault currents as the grid more interconnected and transformers will need to be replaced with a current 2+ lead time for one if you order it today. Then you have to deal with the dog and pony show that is our planning process, best of luck with that one, Grid West says hello.

I'll repeat for anyone that still isn't listening, we cannot meet a target of 70% renewable by 2030, it's physically, practically and logistically not feasible. Even try to bankrupt the country to do it would yeild the results they are setting out.

323

That's the way it's supposed to work. But not in little ole Ireland.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120304547#Comment_120304547

We started 97 years ago and did it in just under four years (11th August 1925 - 22nd July 1929). We moved from local decentralised generation to a fully integrated national grid.

Four years later we added another 2/3rd's of the original capacity.

And four years after that we added another 77% of the original capacity.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120303574#Comment_120303574

That video claims that solar panels take over ALL of the land. Utter organic fertilizer, especially at our latitude.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKRq87EKUZc

Here's how little space solar panels take up if you do it right.

Angle can be varied to follow path of the sun, cater for rain or hail or change the ground temperature up or down a few degrees.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/10/19/french-farmers-are-covering-crops-with-solar-panels-to-produce-food-and-energy-at-the-same

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308006#Comment_120308006

Ah, they were simpler times back then and it still took 12 years to add 77% capacity. We have 7 years to at least double are existing renewable generation.

The Friends of Ireland Environmental group weren't around back then to challenge ever piece of planning. If you think we can get to 70% renewables by 2030 and everything that is required to actually use it then there's nothing I can say to change your mind.

ginger22

Michael O Leary on the radio this morning said "Eamonn Ryan should resign as transport minister and return to the leafy suburbs of Ranelagh where he can worry about bicycle lanes".

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120301750#Comment_120301750

Totally agree. I thought it was about the greens destroying the country ( which imho they are doing their damndest to do ) but all it seems to be now is about our energy.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308118#Comment_120308118

We added 400% of the pre existing capacity in the first eight years. And then added another 77% of that 400% in the next four years.

ps200306

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120308012#Comment_120308012

Here's how little space solar panels take up if you do it right.

You mean if you buy into the latest crazy complicated, crazy expensive-looking Green hopium that hasn't made it off the test bench yet. You don't actually think that stuff is going to make a material contribution to 2050 targets?

ps200306

https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/when-scientific-integrity-is-undermined

There is a gold rush going on in climate research right now, as researchers scramble to cash in on their new-found access to politicians and philanthropists. As Professor Jessica Weinkle of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington stated in her opening remarks in testimony before the U.S. Senate last week, “Today, it is not easy to separate the going-ons in climate change research from the special interests of financial institutions.”

“The landscape of climate change research is made complicated by an outcropping of non-profit advocacy organizations that double as analytic consultants, hold contracts with private companies and government entities, and engage in official government expert advisory roles- all while publishing in the peer reviewed literature and creating media storms.”

With so many corporate vultures sucking on the public tit, I suspect we're going to uncover an incredible amount of sleaze over the coming years.

tom1ie

Folks, just something I’m thinking about here and leading on from my discussions with @antoinolachtnai, we (the Irish taxpayer via esb) are spending billions over the next few years on getting to net zero- yet we won’t own our wind generation via esb.

We can’t own it as that is in contradiction to EU competition laws.

Did France not nationalise its energy market or nuclear market recently?

Did Germany not give state bail outs?

Are these not in direct violation of EU competition laws?

JRant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120312408#Comment_120312408

The EU has always been a bit funny when it comes to Germany and France, rules for thee but not for me, if you will. Both countries give massive tax breaks to companies that hail from them, see automotive companies as a perfect example. So their effective tax rates were way below our headline figure of 12%, yet we were continually fingered as not being good Europeans.