Wind energy set to play a crucial role in Ireland's renewable future
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The era of Big Wind has begun, but what is the point of progress if there aren’t enough people to work in the industry?
That’s the question that wind energy leaders are now trying to address. At the recent Wind Energy Tradeshow, it was made apparent to young people and people who want to upskill that they would be welcomed into the burgeoning industry with open arms.
It is clear that the trajectory for wind energy is not only up, but it is doing so in a remarkable fashion.
Wind Energy Ireland’s latest monthly report in October showed that wind energy provided 32% of Ireland’s electricity in September 2023. The volume of electricity generated by wind in September 2023 was up by 25% when compared with September 2022, according to the data.
Strong winds throughout the second half of last month delivered a third consecutive record-breaking month in wind power generation in Ireland, with July, August and now September all surpassing previous monthly records, it said.
The latest figures mean that Irish wind farms provided 32% of the island’s electricity over the first nine months of 2023, it added triumphantly.
CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, Noel Cunniffe, said: “Our members provided 32% of Ireland’s electricity in September and the volume of wind generated was up by 25% when compared to the same month last year. But we can do better. The development of renewable energy, as well as the grid infrastructure and planning reform required to supply it, must accelerate.”
With greater success comes greater demands to not only maintain momentum, but also to build on it. That means more men and women than ever before are needed to get onboard with the wind revolution.
Wind Energy Ireland, which launched its new ‘Work in Wind’ campaign, says there are “dozens” of different roles and skills that will carve out myriad opportunities for people over the next decade and beyond.
More than 5,000 people are currently employed in the Irish wind energy industry but, as the race to achieve the targets set out in the Climate Action Plan accelerates, this number will much more than double by the end of the decade, the body says.
That is the reason for a comprehensive new website to showcase careers in the sector.
Workinwind.ie highlights the job opportunities in the sector, profiles real-life case studies of people working in the industry today and identifies clear career pathways through training programmes and third-level courses, Wind Energy Ireland says.
Communications manager with Wind Energy Ireland, Lisa-Anne Crookes, oversees the organisation’s education programme.
She said: “We know that young people are passionate about climate action and there is a much greater emphasis on it in the curriculum with the new Leaving Cert course on Climate Action and Sustainable Development.
“WorkinWind.ie will inspire and empower this generation of young people to play their role in Ireland’s renewable future, by highlighting clear paths to a broad range of careers in the renewable energy sector.”
CEO Noel Cunniffe said the renewable energy industry is growing rapidly in Ireland and around the world.
“Together, we are creating a future free of fossil fuels. Whatever your passion, whatever your interest, there is a place for you with us.
“Over the next 10 years, we will need thousands of engineers and technicians, planners and ecologists, pilots and sailors, builders and designers, accountants and lawyers, if we are to build an industry that can decarbonise Ireland’s energy supply.
“Workinwind.ie is the start of a national campaign to inform, inspire and encourage young people to join the global renewable energy revolution, to build a career and save the planet.”
To help showcase the life ahead for those thinking about making wind energy a viable and valuable career, Workinwind.ie has case studies from men and women all over the country in the field.
Eoin McPartland is an engineer and works as offshore manager with Energia.
Eoin said: “It is a really exciting time to be working in the energy sector as an engineer, helping to design and develop solutions to one of the greatest challenges of our time, the climate crisis.
“Engineering is a fantastic career that is rewarding and challenging in equal measure and if you are a problem solver and enjoy working with people to design, build and deliver then engineering could be for you.”
The rapid transformation towards renewable energy, including wind, is continuing globally.
Big challenges remain however, and not just in the recruitment side of things.
Global additions of renewable power capacity are expected to jump by a third this year as growing policy momentum, higher fossil fuel prices, and energy security concerns drive strong deployment of solar PV and wind power, according to the a mid-year update from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The growth is set to continue next year with the world’s total renewable electricity capacity rising to 4 500 gigawatts (GW), equal to the total power output of China and the US combined, the IEA’s Renewable Energy Market Update said in June.
Wind power additions are forecast to rebound sharply in 2023 growing by almost 70% year-on-year after a difficult couple of years in which growth was slugging, the IEA said.
The faster growth is mainly due to the completion of projects that had been delayed by Covid-19 restrictions in China and by supply chain issues in Europe and the US.
Further growth in 2024 will now depend on whether governments can provide greater policy support to address challenges in terms of permitting and auction design.
In contrast to solar PV, wind turbine supply chains are not growing fast enough to match accelerating demand over the medium-term, it warned.
This is mainly due to rising commodity prices and supply chain challenges, which are reducing the profitability of manufacturers, it said.
This mirrors what Wind Energy Ireland has been saying at home.
It described September’s renewable energy auction led by Government as “extremely disappointing” and said that they highlight the need for urgent reform of how we develop wind and solar farms in Ireland.
The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) delivered the smallest volume of renewable energy of any auction to date and for the highest price.
Contracts were awarded to only three wind farms for a total capacity of 148MW.
Mr Cunniffe said: “It marks one year since the last onshore wind farm received planning permission from An Bord Pleanála. Dozens of wind energy projects are in planning limbo. They are supposed to get their decisions in 18 weeks but the average decision time for a wind project is well over 90 weeks.
“We are living in an energy and climate crisis but we do not have a planning system that has been given the resources, the expertise and the personnel to deliver.”