"Green" policies are destroying this country

That's not even on the radar as a financial solution though. Our government are either going to subsidize private investors or have Eirgrid/ESB slap massive standing charges on electricity bills to pay for it. There is no payback built in to the current model.

I'd tend to agree with you that critical energy production should be state owned. We had far cheaper electricity before the EU made us create artificial "competition" in the market which in turn has ramped up prices.

I also think we should be looking to spend money now on upgrading our oil/coal plants to CCGT while we wait for the technology required to transition to higher renewables mature and reach the levels we need. A fully hydrogen RICE is still years away and the plate racing power output of the gen needs to be much higher than your actual need because hydrogen is just not that good a fuel to run in engines. That technology will improve but it's still 2028 before the first models will be available.

If we want to use hydrogen before then we either mix it with gas or use PEM or SOC fuel cells and neither are very good for peaking purposes and would require significant battery banks to support them.

In short, here's what I'd do in order of importance

1: start upgrading older oil/coal plants to gas

2: begin the long slow process of upgrading the HV network as what we have now won't work with renewables spread out across the country

3: wait the 7/10 for the hydrogen economy to develop and mature. First to the market always pays a hefty premium for an inferior product.

I can understand where you're coming from but fossil fuels aren't done. The EU has decided to accelerate the move away from them when we just aren't ready to do that. There'll be a reckoning for these policitians far sooner than people think because we can't continue increasing energy costs at this rate because of a political ideology.

Ryan expecting 1 in 10 voters to vote for them next election. For a safer future. Haha

No misunderstanding.

The figures speak for themselves when you cross-reference your post and compare the figures with green party support which shows the population has no faith in green "solutions".

The only near daily occurrence is you attempting to ignore even the most basic statistics and verifiable facts.

I doubt you have much knowledge of past CAP`s or indeed of REPS, AEOS, GLAS or the new ACRES scheme, but if you are relying on the next CAP to empty the countryside of farmers you will be disappointed. "It will seek to ensure a sustainable future for farmers and provide more targeted support to small farmers". The E.U.Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski doesn`t share the Irish Green Party`s policy of reducing cattle numbers. In fact on a recent visit to Ireland he stated the E.U. had no interest in reducing cattle numbers and their concern was food security.

Another Climate Action Plan will be just another wish list for greens on the evidence of target achieved from such past wish lists. The E.U. Common Agricultural Plan is aimed at keeping farmers on the land to ensure food security and thus supporting rural communities.in real practical terms

Everything that you are opposed too, but thems the breaks. Nothing you or the Irish Green Party can do about it other than suck it up.

This is "magical money tree" thinking. Value can only be generated by: a) harnessing natural resources, b) human productivity. You cannot generate value by paying more for what we already have. The ESB plan for 30 GW of offshore wind plus hydrogen generation and storage is to merely cater for existing demand, i.e. no additional demand growth and no exports. Hence why people are clamouring to know what it's going to cost.

None of which, best case scenario for green`s politically, have made any impression on voters. Worse case it has turned voters completely away from them.

From your own link I cannot see how The Irish Green Party from their own analysis of their political support can see it otherwise. As I said, it`s going to be very interesting on your "more to do" just how many of their parliamentary party will view more of the same that will make that hangman`s knot fit even more snugly and end their lucrative political careers because of legislation that can be changed by the mere stroke of a pen.

The analysis by the Greens Party of their own political future I cannot see being looked upon by FG & FF as anything other than a warning shot across their own bows.

They just can't be used for peaking though. For prime power you can theoretically keep stacking more in parallel but it's no use for peaking, which is what we are talking about here. It's okay for baseload and at the scale we are talking about it still has some emissions, although negligible. RICE would ideal but they are years away from running on pure hydrogen and aren't very energy efficient.

I've no doubt we'll get there in about 10 years, maybe, but trying to accelerate it because of a political ideology is bloody daft.