Ireland is committed to achieving its climate goals, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to a low-carbon economy, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The Climate Action Plan 2024 is a critical document that outlines the country's steps to achieve these goals.
As a provider of solar panel services in Ireland, NuSolas Energy is committed to supporting the transition to a sustainable future. This blog post will discuss the Climate Action Plan 2024, the sectors it covers, and how solar panel services can help achieve these goals.
Overview of the Climate Action Plan 2024
It is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the steps Ireland will take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, meet its renewable energy targets, and achieve a sustainable future. The plan builds on the progress made under the Climate Action Plan 2019 and sets more ambitious targets for the future.
What are the key sectors of Ireland's Climate Action Plan 2024?
The CAP 2024 provides a comprehensive framework for achieving Ireland's climate goals. It covers a range of sectors, each of which plays a critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to a sustainable future. Here are six sectors that are part of the Climate Action Plan 2024:
Powering Renewables
It aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the country's electricity generation, ensuring a secure, affordable, clean energy supply. The government plans to achieve this by:
- Expanding renewable energy sources
The government aims to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity generation from 40% (2020) to 70% by 2030. This will be achieved by developing offshore wind farms, solar farms, and other renewable energy projects nationwide.
- Creating a renewable electricity support scheme
The government plans to introduce a new scheme to support the development of renewable energy projects, ensuring they are economically viable and compete with fossil fuels.
- Phasing out coal and peat
The government plans to completely phase out the use of coal and peat in electricity generation by 2025. This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable energy practices.
Building Better
It aims to improve buildings' energy efficiency and sustainability, reducing energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The government plans to achieve this by:
- Retrofitting existing buildings
The government aims to retrofit 500,000 homes and buildings by 2030, reducing energy consumption and lowering energy bills for homeowners and businesses. This will also create jobs in the retrofitting industry.
- Introducing higher energy performance standards
The government plans to introduce higher energy performance standards for new buildings, ensuring they are built to be more energy efficient and sustainable from the outset.
- Creating a green public procurement policy
The government plans to introduce a green public procurement policy, ensuring that public buildings and infrastructure are designed and built to the highest environmental standards.
Turning Transport Around
It aims to transform the transport sector, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels and promoting more sustainable modes of transportation. The government plans to achieve this by:
- Electrifying the transport fleet
The government aims to have all new cars and vans sold in Ireland to be zero-emission by 2030 and to have 100% of all cars and vans on the road to be zero-emission by 2045. This will be achieved through incentives, such as grants and tax incentives, to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.
- Developing sustainable transport infrastructure
The government plans to invest in sustainable transport infrastructure, such as cycle lanes and public transport, to encourage more people to use sustainable modes of transport.
- Introducing a carbon tax on fossil fuels
The government plans to introduce a carbon tax on fossil fuels, such as petrol and diesel, to encourage the transition to more sustainable modes of transport. The revenue from this tax will be reinvested in sustainable transport initiatives.
Making Family Farms More Sustainable
As part of Ireland's Climate Action Plan 2024, the government is committed to supporting farmers in producing world-class, safe and nutritious food while seeking to diversify income through tillage, energy generation, and forestry. Some of the key goals in this sector include:
- Reducing chemical nitrogen use
The government aims to reduce chemical nitrogen use as a fertiliser significantly. This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable agricultural practices.
- Increasing uptake of protected urea
The government plans to increase the uptake of protected urea on grassland farms to 90-100%. This will help reduce livestock emissions and promote more sustainable land use practices.
- Expanding organic farming and tillage
The government aims to increase organic farming to up to 450,000 hectares and tillage to 400,000 hectares. This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote more sustainable agricultural practices, and improve biodiversity.
- Promoting the biomethane sector
The government plans to expand the indigenous biomethane sector through anaerobic digestion, reaching up to 5.7TWh of biomethane. This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable energy practices.
- Contributing to land use targets
The government aims to contribute to delivering the land use targets for afforestation and reduced management intensity of organic soils. This will help to increase carbon sequestration and promote more sustainable land use practices.
Greening Business and Enterprise
It also aims to change how businesses produce, consume, and design goods and services by breaking the link between fossil fuels and economic progress. Decarbonising industry and enterprise is key to Ireland's economy and future competitiveness. Some of the key goals in this sector include:
- Reducing emissions from cement production
The government plans to reduce clinker content in cement and substitute products with lower carbon content for construction materials, ensuring a 35% reduction in emissions by 2030 (against 2018). This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable construction practices.
- Decreasing fossil fuel use
The government aims to reduce fossil fuel use from 64% of final consumption (2021) to 45% by 2025 and further by 2030. This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable energy practices.
- Increasing carbon-neutral heating
The government plans to increase the total share of heating to carbon-neutral to 50-55% by 2025, up to 70-75% by 2030. This will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote more sustainable energy practices.
- Promoting the circular economy and bioeconomy
The government plans to grow the circular economy and bioeconomy significantly. This will help to reduce waste and promote more sustainable resource use practices.
Changing Our Land Use
The land use sector is critical for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable land use practices. While the exact reduction target for this sector is yet to be determined, the government has outlined a number of goals to help achieve these aims. Some of the key goals in this sector include:
- Increasing afforestation rates
The government plans to increase annual afforestation rates to 8,000 hectares annually from 2023 onwards. This will help to increase carbon sequestration and promote more sustainable land use practices.
- Rethinking forestry programs and initiatives
The government plans to rethink its forestry program and vision. This will help promote forest management initiatives in public and private forests to increase carbon sinks and stores.
- Improving carbon sequestration
The government aims to improve the carbon sequestration of 450,000 hectares of grasslands on mineral soils and reduce carbon emissions from drained organic soils. This will help to promote more sustainable land use practices and reduce the negative impact of land use on climate change.
How Can Solar Panel Services Help Achieve the Climate Action Plan 2024 Objectives?
Solar panel services can play a critical role in achieving the objectives of the Climate Action Plan 2023. Some of the ways solar panels can help include:
- Generating renewable energy
Solar panels generate clean and renewable energy from the sun, which can be used to power homes, businesses, and public buildings.
- Reducing reliance on fossil fuels
Solar panels can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels by generating renewable energy and help transition to a low-carbon economy.
- Improving energy efficiency
Solar panels can also help improve the energy efficiency of buildings by reducing the need for electricity from the grid.
- Supporting sustainable transport
Solar panels can be used to power electric vehicles and can also be used to charge electric vehicles through solar-powered charging stations. This can help support sustainable transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Increasing energy independence
By generating their own renewable energy, homeowners and businesses can become more independent and less reliant on the grid.
- Saving money
Solar panels can help homeowners and businesses save money on electricity bills by generating their own renewable energy.
Take Action Today to Create a Sustainable Future
Ireland's Climate Action Plan 2024 is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the country's steps to achieve a sustainable future. Solar panel services can play a critical role in achieving the plan's objectives by generating renewable energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, improving energy efficiency, supporting sustainable transport, increasing energy independence, and saving money.
At NuSolas Energy, we are committed to helping our customers transition to a sustainable future through the use of solar panels. Contact us today to learn more about our solar panel services and how we can help you achieve your sustainability goals.
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