Gas demand rises amid lack of storage facilities for renewable energy, report suggests
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Gas demand crept upwards in July amid a lack of storage facilities for electricity generated from renewable energy sources including wind, a report suggested.
A Gas Demand Report by Gas Networks Ireland found the fossil fuel was the largest contributor to electricity generation, generating 45%, which represents an increase from 42% in June, and a slight decrease year-on-year from 46% in annual terms.
Cooler and dryer weather led to lower wind energy contribution to the grid while, at times in June, “gas powered up to 64% of the country’s electricity, and never dropped below 16%”, said Gas Networks Ireland’s director of strategy and regulation Edwina Nyhan.
“Wind energy’s contribution, meanwhile, peaked at 72%, but given the variable nature of weather dependent renewable energy sources, there were times in the month when supply dropped completely and contributed less than 1% of electricity generation,” she added.
Wind energy generated 22% of Ireland’s electricity in July, falling four percentage points on the previous month and declining 11 percentage points on the same month last year, according to the report.
Battery energy storage systems, often referred to as Bess, are regarded as a vital part of the Ireland’s fledgling renewable energy sector.
These storage systems house power generated from renewable energy developments including wind turbines and solar panels. This energy can later be released onto the grid to help satisfy growing demand and provide stability when it comes to energy supply.
“Energy storage is a key enabler of our clean energy future, and this achievement is a big step on that journey,” Bobby Smith, head of Energy Storage Ireland, previously said in a piece for the Irish Examiner.
He added that these systems are needed to “reduce the use of fossil fuels and drive down energy prices while ensuring a secure, stable electricity system.”
Meanwhile, there was also a notable increase in demand for Bio-CNG, which is used by the transport sector as it emits up to 90% less carbon emissions than alternative heavy fuels.
The demand for this so-called clean fuel jumped 20% in the month and 65% year-on-year.
Gas Networks Ireland has in the past month published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) on the e-tenders system, for the potential purchase of up to 250 gigawatts of biomethane.
Elsewhere, European natural gas futures fell below €38 per megawatt-hour, down from an early-month peak of over €40, as Europe's gas reserves storage levels reached 90% capacity on August 19, surpassing the EU's November target by over two months.
The level of reserves helped dampen recent price surges driven by concerns over supply risks, especially over Russian gas flows.