"Green" policies are destroying this country

In all fairness you work and have been in data centers so you really shoud have a better understand how they work. Data centers are extremely efficient, most of them have been built in the last ten years and use the most modern technology. You do know that large data centers are proven to be more efficient than running local servers. It's actually in the data centers interest in using less power as they have to pay for it.

Quick back-of-a-fag-packet calculation. €2.8Bn borrowed over 25 years at 7% with a 10% ROI (which is very low compared to the last decade), for 800MW with a 35% capacity factor... gives you a price of €108 per MWh. I don't for a second believe it will be that low -- it's not much higher than current onshore prices and inflation is roaring. The venture vultures who fund these things are more used to 20% returns in the last decade. But even if it magically came in at that "bargain basement" figure, do you actually think €108/MWh is a good price? That's before you divert some of it to hydrogen production and generation with horrible round trip efficiencies and huge additional infrastructure costs.

Considering that the ESB and you believe in investing in wind capacity for Ireland, why do you keep posting rubbish attempting to avoid answering how much this investment will cost ?

Is it because like Poland and offshore wind turbines you do not really have a clue ?

2021 81% of Poland`s energy was provided by fossil fuels, 72% from coal. Wind provided 11.6% in 2021 (Source: Energy Market Information Center), not 33.3%.

Offshore wind turbines have a lifespan of 27 years, (good luck with that with them being in one of the harshest environments on the planet), what do you think is going to be providing generation after 27 years. That they will just continue to do so for all time ?

A wind farm with 43.3 GW nameplate capacity based on U.K. offshore rolling capacity will provide 18.6 GW. Bloomberg November 2021."China`s Climate Goals Hinge on a $440 Billion Nuclear Buildout. China is planning at least 150 new reactors in the next 15 years." 15 are under construction this year. Two more have just been sanctioned that will generate over 1.2 GW each. Those 150 new reactors within the next 15 years will, generate according to China, generate 246 GW.

Now maybe you could answer how much this investment in this ESB plan you favour will be that you have been asked repeatedly and ignored and what do you think is going to provide the 6.3 GW for domestic supply and the 6.3 GW supply for hydrogen after the 27 year lifespan of those turbines ?

I will leave this here. Lol. Was always going to happen. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/12/like-an-oilwell-in-your-back-yard-irish-turn-to-cutting-peat-to-save-on-energy-bills

I wanted a link to an Irish DC that is cooled by "free cooling"

You provided a link to one that sometimes uses free cooling.

My house has free heating, well only in summer, when its hot.

Who said "only" AC? You are pretending that DCs use only Free Cooling when in fact there is power consumed during this free cooling and they dont rely on free cooling, or is your claim that none of these DCs have powered cooling that they also rely on?

Is there a problem with building new infrastructure suddenly?

Where is all the nuclear waste stored?

We are blue in the face explaining that you will have more than you need sometimes and less than you need other times. You export when you have more and import when you have less.

Please explain how your nuclear plant produces power when its out of action for a decade?

Please explain how fossil fuels produce power when they are all gone?

Another green who can't answer a simple question. You mentioned storage numerous times but when questioned can't back it up ( the irony ) . I never mentioned nuclear you must be mistaken again. Why can't you just admit that with the weather we have had and Britain in the last 10 days wind is not worth a ****. Thank God for Gas,oil, turf etc otherwise we would be up the creek. Just face facts

If other countries have excess to readily give us, why would they need to buy our excess wind energy in the first place?

Conversely, if they need to buy our excess wind energy, how/why are they going to have any excess ready to give us when we fall short?

So you dont want renewable or nuclear energy, what do you want?

Unless you deny that fossil fuels are finite, whats your plan in 20 years time? Are you sitting on some oil or gas reserves that you havent told anyone about?

One nuclear plant v multiple industrial wind & solar farms and whatever else? Yes, things have moved on from Carnsore - that was a looong time ago. Were you around for it??

The UK, Netherlands, Dernmark, along with the north of France, Germany (including their most densely populated capitals), are all sub-zero currently and under the same little wind high pressure system as us.

All countries who we would ultimately rely on for backup power via the existing or planned inter-connectors to supply us with this week's wind shortfall.

Power they, in all likelihood, aren't going to have excess to give if they're going to provide localised backup for the lack of wind coming from us?

Summer is exactly the same, a European high pressure system causes the extreme heat events that we saw over the last few years. High pressure which again leads to little or no wind, relatively speaking. Again, where will the excess come from these countries if they have to provide localised backup for a lack of renewable electricity coming from ourselves?