Ireland should support ambitious EU renewable energy and energy efficiency targets

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The EU is making big decisions on renewables and energy efficiency as we speak. EU energy ministers will agree on new renewable energy targets for 2030 at the next Energy Council meeting on Monday 19th December. Meanwhile, negotiations are ongoing on landmark energy efficiency obligations.
Improving energy savings, combined with accelerating the deployment of renewable energy throughout Europe, are the key components needed for a swift and fair energy transition. Hence, why higher ambition is needed in both the EU’s proposed Energy Efficiency Directive and Renewable Energy Directive.
We know that Ireland is now facing a three-part energy crisis of affordability, pollution and supply, as a result of our fossil fuel addiction. The overall solution to these three problems, and the way to protect households and communities in Ireland, is the same: reduce our dependence on fossil fuels as fast as possible through increased renewables and energy efficiency.
Take our e-action asking Minister Ryan to make sure Ireland supports the strongest measures to improve energy savings in our homes and also joins with progressive states in supporting an increased renewables target.

Minister

Minister Eamon Ryan (GP)

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Dear (each target will get a separate, personalised email),

I’m emailing you to raise concerns regarding Ireland’s position in the negotiation of the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and proposed Renewable Energy Directive (RED).

Ahead of next Monday’s EU Council negotiations on RED, as well as ongoing EED negotiations, it is essential that Ireland supports maximum ambition in targets included in these proposals as a means of underpinning Ireland’s decarbonisation and preventing further reliance on expensive, dirty fossil fuels, especially gas.

We already know that significant investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency will deliver permanent cuts to energy bills, secure our energy supply, mitigate climate change and create green jobs. Higher targets for renewables and energy efficiency are not only an economic and climate imperative, but also hugely popular.  The overwhelming majority of European citizens support massive investments in renewable energy. 87 percent of Europeans think “the EU should invest massively in renewable energies such as solar and wind”.

On the RED, there is a growing number of Member states supporting the EU target increase to at least 45%, however Ireland is not among these progressive voices. Rather than allowing a weakening of the target, Ireland should seek to lead and demand an at least 45% target as the only realistic win-win solution to address the triple-crisis of high bills, energy insecurity, and the climate emergency. We have missed many opportunities to pivot away from the fuels driving catastrophic climate change, and we cannot afford to delay this transition any longer.  While a 50% RES target for 2030 aligned with the Paris Agreement is necessary, 45% is now the preferred option given that it is the highest proposal on the negotiation table at the moment. Ireland has been a frontrunner in supporting renewable energy development at home. We need Ireland to speak up for higher energy targets and join the progressives.

On the EED, little progress has been made on substantial elements of the Directive, such as fixing an ambitious level of the binding EU energy efficiency target, a robust governance regime and the exclusion of fossil fuels from the energy savings obligation. The highest energy efficiency target discussed during trilogue negotiations on the EED is 14.5%. While this does not go far enough (at least 20% is needed), there is currently a blocking minority in the Council that supports only 9%. It is crucial that Ireland seeks to break the blocking minority which is acting against an increased target in the Council.

Please remember that 123 billion EUR from EU countries has flowed to Russia for fossil fuels since its abhorrent invasion of Ukraine. If such amounts had been spent on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, and massive energy savings programmes instead, people across Europe would be far better protected from the acute energy crisis we are now in and we would be on the path to eliminating use of Russian fossil fuels.

Now is the time for leadership from Ireland, not for old ‘climate laggard’ ways of thinking.

Yours sincerely
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Ireland should support ambitious EU renewable energy and energy efficiency targets

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