Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan has announced details of the second Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS 2) auction, which has received government approval.
The goal of up to 80% of Ireland’s electricity from renewable generation by the end of the decade will contribute to Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, according to the government.
This will be done by substituting primarily wind and solar electricity generation for fossil fuel electricity generation, as well as displacing emissions in other sectors.
RESS 2 a ‘major step’
Speaking today, Minister Ryan said:
“Ireland remains heavily reliant on fossil fuel. We must radically reduce this dependence and make the transition to cleaner, indigenous renewable energy.
“Increased renewable energy will insulate Ireland from the volatility of international gas and carbon prices, which are near an all-time high.
“We are exiting from generating electricity from peat and coal and moving to clean, renewable sources of power, like wind and solar.
“RESS is one of the primary policies set out in the Programme for Government and the Climate Action Plan to address Ireland’s climate challenges over the coming years.”
According to the minister, the RESS programme and the launch of the second onshore auction will be a “major step in meeting the government’s ambition of reducing emissions by 51% by 2030”.
“The RESS auctions have been designed to deliver on our commitments to decarbonise our electricity grid, harness our natural resources and bring renewable energy into the heart of our communities,” the minister added.
Broaden the renewable energy mix
The RESS is an auction-based scheme, which invites renewable electricity projects to bid for capacity and receive a guaranteed price for the electricity they generate.
The government has agreed the proposed elements of the scheme, which are consistent with the state aid approval for RESS auctions through to 2025.
This RESS has a broadly similar design to RESS 1. The structure of the first auction was “largely supported by stakeholders”, and the key design principles have been maintained “to ensure high project delivery rates and competitive outcomes”.
The obligatory Community Benefit Fund scheme established in RESS 1 has been maintained.
The scheme will be open to a range of technologies, including provisions to couple renewables plus storage capability at project sites. This will broaden the renewable energy mix and enhance security of supply.
The auction will be open to new projects which are connected directly to the electricity network and metered independently of any other electricity generating plant, at a single metering point, and which rely on the following to produce electricity:
- Onshore wind turbines;
- Onshore solar thermal or solar PV technology;
- Hybrid wind and solar;
- Hybrid wind and storage;
- Hybrid solar and storage;
- Hydro;
- High efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) boilers fuelled exclusively by waste;
- High efficiency CHP boilers fuelled by biomass;
- High efficiency CHP boilers fuelled by biogas.
The RESS 2 auction schedule has been accelerated from the draft timetable which was published in June 2021 and is now set to open before the end of the year.
It is anticipated that RESS 2 will deliver an increase of up to 3,500GWh in renewable electricity generation by the end of 2024.