Europe has a duty to lead the green transition

This year’s European elections were widely predicted to bring victories for extreme parties of the right and left. And yet, the centre held.

Seán Kelly is a Member of the European Parliament for Ireland South.

For those of us in the EPP block, which continues to be the largest grouping in the European parliament, this means a pan-European mandate for unity, ambition and growth.

Nowhere are these ideas more important than in the reformulation of the European Green Deal, and the way it can be a boost for both the environment and the economy. The next five years are crucial to the future of Europe.

Reaching our 2030 target - namely, the reduction of greenhouse gases by 55 per cent from where they were in 1990, will set the path for the following decades, with the ultimate aim of carbon neutrality by 2050.

But these targets will remain abstract if we’re not clear what they mean for people’s everyday lives and across Europe.

Firstly, our approach to the green transition necessitates a robust and growing economy.

European leadership means creating high quality, sustainable jobs designing, manufacturing and maintaining the new technologies we need, from wind turbines to batteries, to clean home heating systems. These are the industries of the future, vital for our long-term prosperity.

These are also the areas were we must focus on ensuring the training and education services needed to create a supply of domestic skilled workers. Renewable energy is cheaper energy: the availability of inexpensive and sustainable power will be a massive boost for individuals, households, and businesses across the continent.

The shock of the price spike after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was felt by everyone, highlighting the importance of sustainable and stable energy sources. Ireland is dependent on imports for over 80 per cent of our energy - with most of that figure being made up of fossil fuels.

This is above the already too high figure of 62.5% for the EU as a whole.

In an increasingly volatile world, it’s obvious that every country in the EU must look to step up domestic production of sustainable energy - with prices not linked to the volatile fossil fuel market.

Storage is an essential part of this package - delivering reliability and consistent pricing. In April this year, Ireland’s Electricity Supply Board (ESB) announced that it had reached 1 GW of energy storage connected to the grid - the equivalent of energy for 450,000 homes (over 20% of total housing stock) for one hour.

Energy Storage Ireland has said that optimising storage could save up to €85 million per year on energy bills, by allowing us to store energy when demand is low and releasing it when demand is high.

We’ll need more - the next milestone will be the integration of long-duration storage technologies, which provide 100hrs of storage or more. This will enable us to get very close to a system based on 100% renewable electricity.

We clearly have work to do to get to our target of 34.1% of our total energy mix coming from renewable and sustainable sources by 2030 (the overall EU target is 42.5%).

But Ireland, and Europe, cannot afford to be unambitious.

On a European level, this means setting a clear target for overall renewable energy for 2040 and a date for when we’ll achieve zero-carbon in the electricity part of the system. It means ensuring that markets exist for storage technologies, and that the grid is fit for purpose and joined up across the Union.

It also means investment. Europe should ensure we’re making investment in these technologies attractive.

While the EU sets a target of two years for permitting of renewable energy projects, a study by climate think tank EMBER found that of 18 countries analysed on the permitting of onshore wind power, all were missing the two-year target.

The reasons are that lengthy and uncertain decision timelines, coupled with the frequent occurrence of judicial reviews, increase project risk and can deter potential developments or investments.

This needs to change.

The green transition is a global reality - it is happening right now. Europe has a choice on whether it wants to lead or not. Leadership will mean jobs and growth, and a cleaner environment for our young people for generations to come.