Message-ID: <199707011530.IAA13976@cdp.igc.apc.org> Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 08:30:55 -0700 From: Tom Gray <mailto:tomgray@IGC.ORG> Subject: --Ireland Calls for 90 MW To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
IRELAND CALLS FOR 90 MW OF WIND IN 3RD AER ROUNDThe government of Ireland plans to sign contracts for 90 MW of new wind electric generating capacity as part of its third Alternative Energy Requirement (AER3), announced March 24 by Emmet Stagg, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Energy, and Communications.
AER3, according to the Irish Energy Centre's Energy Update newsletter, will "see the contribution of renewable energy sources increase to over 10% of the country's total electricity generating capacity by 1999 . . . " The program's 100-MW goal includes "technology bands" (requirements for individual technologies) of 90 MW for wind, 7 MW for biomass/waste, and 3 MW for hydropower.
The operation of the AER program is similar to the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) being discussed in the U.S., in that it sets a requirement for a certain quantity of electricity to be purchased from one or more renewable energy technologies, with the requirement open to competitive bidding among companies in the renewable energy industries. The program thus allows market forces to determine which renewables projects will be built.
The Irish program and similar, larger government programs in England and Scotland are generally reckoned as successful in that they have provided a substantial initial market for renewable energy development while steadily reducing the cost of the electricity that is generated. AER3, for example, limits the price of energy from wind projects to no more than 3.9 pence/kWh (U.S. 6.1 cents/kWh).
AER3 includes, for the first time in the Irish program, an additional division between large and small wind projects: "Subject to the quality of applications received," the Energy Update article said, "up to 25 MW of the 90 MW target will come from projects of between 500 kW to 5 MW in size, with the remaining capacity to come from projects of 5 MW to 15 MW. Applications for the larger developments must be accompanied by a local development plan."
Successful bidders under the program will be awarded power purchase agreements of up to 15 years duration from ESB, the Irish state utility. Prospective generators have until April 30 to complete a "registration of interest" form and return it to the Department of Transport, Energy, and Communications.
Stagg, in remarks prepared for the AER3 announcement, was bullish on renewables, asserting, "Renewable energy is clean, it is green, and it is native. It is a strength that this country has and it is a strength that this country must play to.
"Until very recently we had a vast untapped national reserve of renewable energy. Our achievements to date have allowed for the harnessing of that resource, the maximizing of its economic value, and the enhancement of the green image of Ireland abroad. I have been unrelenting in my mission to further enhance the contribution of renewable energy to energy consumption and to our generation of electricity. . .
"If I may use an analogy, renewable energy is not a passing fad, it is a style. Fads come and they go, styles transcend the years. Whether or not we like renewable energy, whether or not we think it is a costlier form of energy, is in my view immaterial. Renewable energy, I think, is a clear survival must. The harnessing of renewable energy is not simply about electricity generation. It is not simply about windfarms or waste-to-energy facilities. It is a socio-economic and environmental imperative."
Ireland's record on wind development to date is spotty, but improving, according to another article in Energy Update: "The planning process has proved a major obstacle to wind energy projects, which comprise the bulk of the 111 MW figure [in AER1, the program's first phase]. In recent months, however, there have been some breakthroughs with a total of six projects at a combined capacity of 41.15 MW now in possession of planning permission. Four of these projects are based in County Donegal and the other two in County Leitrim.
"A further two projects with a combined capacity of 9.8 MW are currently going through the planning process. Meanwhile, a 7.5-MW development has been refused planning permission and a second project of 15 MW is unlikely to proceed due to strong local objections."
For further information, contact Joanne Geary at the Irish Energy Centre Renewable Energy Information Office, phone 011-353-23-42193, fax 011-353-23-41304, e-mail mailto:<joanne@reio.ie>.
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