Decarbonising Ireland – optimising progress with renewable electricity and Green Hydrogen
This article has been prepared by Eleanor Mayes, Ecological Consultant, and draws on documentation in the public domain. Eleanor graduated in 1978 with a B.A. (Mod.) in Natural Science from Trinity College Dublin, specialising in Zoology, and also hold an M.Sc. in Zoology from Trinity College Dublin. Eleanor has carried out bird surveys and related ecological research for governmental and non-governmental conservation agencies, and has also been involved in policy work on the implementation of nature conservation legislation, and the effectiveness of conservation designations in Ireland. Eleanor has worked as an independent ecological consultant since 1989 on a wide range of infrastructure projects including waste water treatment plants and associated pipelines, communications masts, power lines, thermal power stations and wind farms, flood alleviation schemes, river and canal navigation schemes, and public marinas.
“I see evidence of climate change through my work as an ecologist in Ireland. My objective in preparing this briefing note is to contribute to decarbonisation actions using green hydrogen in all areas of the Irish economy. Although the technology is available and developing rapidly, there has been relatively little uptake of green hydrogen technology so far, or debate at Government level or in the media, about the contribution that green hydrogen can make to decarbonisation in Ireland. It seems likely that the widespread generation and use of green hydrogen in the Irish economy will need to be adopted sooner, and with large scale generation brought forward in the revised National Energy and Climate Plan, to assist in meeting the 7% annual average reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to which Ireland and the EU are now committed.” Eleanor Mayes, Ecological Consultant
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation are existential threats to Europe and the world. The EU aims to be climate neutral by 2050, to restore biodiversity, and to cut pollution. The European Green Deal aims to transform the EU’s economy for a sustainable future. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. It binds with other elements and must be extracted from these to provide pure, non-toxic, colourless and odourless hydrogen. Even today hydrogen is produced, transported, and used in chemical and food industries throughout the world. Green hydrogen produced by renewable electricity, and used for the appropriate applications in combination with the use of renewable electricity, is identified as providing an integrated pathway to sustainable global decarbonisation.
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