Wind Energy Ireland have launched a pathway to a net-zero Irish energy system by 2050.

Our Climate Neutral Future: Zeroby50 is published today by MaREI, the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, hosted by University College Cork, on behalf of Wind Energy Ireland.

It shows that a net-zero energy system is possible, it is cost-effective and it has the potential to create more than 50,000 jobs as part of building a new foundation for the Irish economy.

Our Climate Neutral Future: Zeroby50 is a call to action for the Government and for every level of Irish society. It sets out Ireland’s decarbonisation pathway to becoming truly energy independent and delivering warmer homes, cleaner air and more efficient transport.

This report shows how the Climate Action Bill, launched last week, can be delivered and it was welcomed today by Minister Eamon Ryan as “…an important and valuable contribution to the debate. It shows not only how we can decarbonise but how we can do so in a way that builds our economy and delivers a cleaner, more sustainable and secure future for us all.”

Time to act

Dr Paul Deane, of MaREI in UCC and the report’s lead author, said: “This is our blueprint to a cleaner future and demonstrates that producing our own renewable energy in Ireland delivers benefits beyond climate action in terms of employment, warmer homes, cleaner transport and reduces our reliance on imported fossil fuel to near zero.”

Wind Energy Ireland CEO Dr Connolly said: “A net-zero energy system by 2050 is absolutely achievable. It is also essential and it will be powered by electricity. To get to net-zero energy by 2050 we must get to net-zero electricity by 2035. Clean, Irish, wind energy will be what heats our homes and gets us to work in the morning. We know what we need to do. Now is the time to act.

“We need to bring together policymakers and leaders at every level of Irish society to drive the essential changes and the reforms, to bring the same level of urgency to reducing our carbon emissions as we did to flattening the Covid curve.

“It is essential that the new Climate Action Plan gives some independent body, such as the Climate Change Advisory Council, the power and the authority to unite us all behind a shared common goal of a zero-carbon, energy independent, Ireland.”