Sir, – While about one quarter of our electricity is now wind-generated, Ireland is next to bottom of the EU table when it comes to lowering our carbon emissions.
Our onshore, renewable approach to wind energy comes nowhere near producing enough energy to satisfy our daily minimum power demand from the national grid.
At long last, however, there is momentum in the direction of offshore wind, with four developers securing State-backed contracts for Ireland’s first offshore wind energy.
At the same time, several of the onshore “small nuclear reactors” coming on stream in Canada are likely to be another possible response to the increasing difficulty in guaranteeing a supply of onshore, clean and affordable energy in Ireland.
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It looks increasingly obvious that we should be seriously considering a small portion of nuclear to bolster irregular renewable energy streams.
As Brian Marten (Letters, December 14th) asks, who is to say nuclear couldn’t be playing an important part in achieving sustainable energy for Ireland in the foreseeable future? – Yours, etc,
ANNE BAILY,
Carrick-on-Suir,
Co Tipperary.