Foreword

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has conducted in-depth peer reviews of its member countries’ energy policies since 1976. This process not only supports energy policy development but also encourages the exchange of and learning from international best practices and experiences. In short, by seeing what has worked – or not – in the “real world”, these reviews help to identify policies that achieve objectives and bring concrete results. Recently, the IEA has moved to modernise the reviews by focusing on some of the key energy challenges in today’s rapidly changing energy markets.

Ireland is successfully advancing the low-carbon transformation of its energy sector, and the power sector is leading the way for decarbonisation. In 2017, Ireland had the third-highest share of wind in electricity generation of all IEA member countries. I am pleased to see that, thanks to the country’s substantial innovation capacity, the Irish electricity system is ready to accommodate an even larger share of wind generation. Despite the progress made, Ireland faces challenges in its shortand medium-term climate and energy targets. In this review, we recommend that the government set trajectories towards those targets and the means of achieving them. This could include building on the success of many new energy efficiency policies, which is something that will be explored in the fourth annual IEA Global Conference on Energy Efficiency to be hosted by Ireland in June 2019.

One of Ireland’s main challenges towards a low-carbon energy future is the decarbonisation of heat in the housing sector. The IEA applauds that revised regulations require all new buildings from January 2019 onwards to install renewable energy systems. A similar push is needed in the rental market for existing houses, and we recommend that the government considers the introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards in the rental sector to give a push to renovation.

The aim of this report is to support Ireland in its quest for a secure, affordable, and environmentally sustainable transformation of its energy sector. It is my hope that it will guide Ireland in its energy transition and support its contribution to a cleaner, more sustainable, and secure global energy system.

Dr Fatih Birol

Executive Director

International Energy Agency

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FOREWORD

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