Renewable energy sources, including wind and solar power, have considerably reduced carbon emissions in Ireland, despite their inherent challenges. Their primary issue resides in their intermittent nature – the sun doesn’t always shine, nor does the wind always blow. The question, then, is how to cater to electrical demands when these sources aren’t fully functional?
Clare Duffy suggests large-scale batteries as a potential solution for storing excess renewable electricity. On days of high windy or sunny conditions, when energy generation surpasses consumption, the saved-up energy could be distributed as needed to ensure consistent supply. As per Duffy, companies such as ESB are already embracing this mechanism.
Duffy further shares that according to ESB, the keys to achieving net-zero energy by 2050 in Ireland are a mix of renewable energy, substantial energy storage, and conventional backup generation. This all-encompassing strategy also provides a more stable energy supply by diminishing reliance on fossil fuels imported from potentially unstable world regions while promoting the use of indigenous, naturally occurring resources. Duffy elucidates, we’re substituting geopolitical risk for a weather-dependent one, thus needing consistent backup technologies to supplement renewables.
As part of its strategy to achieve net-zero by 2040, ESB has assigned Duffy’s team with considering investment choices that provide energy storage, grid system services, and backup generation assets to enhance supply stability in Ireland, both short and medium-term, as well as to foster the integration of renewable energy in the long run.
Duffy’s credentials include her studies in electrical and electronic engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, followed up with five years of international work with a multinational engineering corporation. A native of West Donegal, she got the opportunity to work on international electricity projects with ESB International in 1999. Duffy reminisces about appreciating how secure and reliable energy can significantly boost economic and social development, upon her work in post-conflict and developing countries – a realization she inherited from her practical experience.
The knowledge and experience she garnered during her time at ESB International, as an engineer was invaluable. She asserts, “Being an engineer enables you to work globally. My work with ESB International offered me an exposure to projects across different territories such as Europe, the US, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Collaborating with the locals is truly enlightening and offers a deeper understanding of a place, in comparison to a tourist’s experience. It marked a significant career progression for a novice engineer like me.”
In 2011, she assumed the position of ESB’s UK general manager located in London. She recalls, “That was an era when ESB was diversifying its investments by acquiring generation assets in the UK, owing to the strengthening interconnections between the UK and Irish markets. The UK’s electricity market was undergoing the biggest structural shifts post the privatisation of the ’90s. Being a part of that dynamic time was both exciting and challenging.”
Upon returning to Ireland in 2016, she fervently believes that the most effective strategy to attain the country’s climate action objectives is to progressively decarbonise electricity output utilizing renewable energy and decarbonised fuels and to amplify the electrification of heating and transport systems, thereby phasing out the employment of fossil fuels in the energy sector. Despite the ongoing development of several solutions, electrification remains the only verified, large-scale pathway for energy decarbonisation. She emphasizes the coherence of ESB’s vision with these objectives and its investments in Ireland, propelling the country towards a secure, sustainable, and net-zero energy infrastructure, thereby catalysing the green energy revolution within the economy and society. She asserts that this lucid vision greatly enhances her motivation to work for ESB.
In the continuation of her discourse, she advocates the importance of battery storage, particularly its various functionalities. She articulates that upon being charged by surplus renewable energy, it can subsequently supply power as per demand. It can rectify deficient power supply in just 120 milliseconds. ESB underpins its commitment to the technology via active investment, owning more than 300MWs of two-hour storage across five locations, resulting in an overall investment exceeding €300 million. This is an ample supply to energise approximately 200,000 residences.
Duffy and her team are fervently involved in creating a series of potential national projects. They’re collaborating with property owners to gain site access, secure essential permits, and acquire planning permissions. Moreover, they’re allocating the necessary technologies for these projects. The aim is to bring these projects to a point where they can apply for contracts. Some of these initial projects are independent storage facilities, while others are hybrid, intended for development near pre-existing solar or wind farms with already built grid connections.
In addition to their focus on battery energy storage, Duffy’s team is also committed to crafting backup generation. The next ten years internationally will witness a surge in innovation regarding backup generation, utilising non-fossil-fuel-based sources that will lead to Net Zero carbon emission solutions. ESB, in their contribution, has developed several backup generation alternatives. This includes a new electricity generating station that is presently being built in the Poolbeg Energy Hub, located a short distance away from the 75MW battery energy storage project. ESB has purchased turbines for the new Poolbeg station, which will initially operate on natural gas and eventually transition to decarbonised fuels as they become more obtainable. Multiple technology co-location, all contributing to a Net Zero future, is now a common feature of energy project development. The Poolbeg Energy Hub showcases this brilliantly.
Duffy concludes by indicating the critical part battery storage will play in the transition to a decarbonised electricity system. Duffy affirms that meeting Ireland’s highly ambitious climate action goals would be unattainable without a significant increase in renewable electricity production. This amplification in production is only feasible with sufficient battery storage capacity to match demand when renewable electricity isn’t accessible. Duffy takes great pride in being part of the ESB team who are actively contributing to the provision of such storage capacity.