Due to a lack of indigenous fossil energy resources, Ireland’s energy supply constantly teeters on the brink
of political, geopolitical, and geographical unease. The potential risk to the security of the energy supply
combined with the contribution of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to climate change gives a
clear indication of Ireland’s need to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels as primary energy source.
A feasibility analysis to investigate the available renewable energy options was conducted using HOMER
software. The net present cost, the cost of energy, and the CO2 emissions of each potential energy combination
were considered in determining the most suitable renewable and non-renewable hybrid energy
system. Wind energy was shown to have the greatest potential for renewable energy generation in Ireland:
wind energy was a component of the majority of the optimal hybrid systems both in stand-alone
and grid-connected systems. In 2010 the contribution of wind energy to gross electricity consumption
in Ireland approximated 10%, and the results of this feasibility study indicate that there is great potential
for wind-generated energy production in Ireland. Due to the inherent variability of wind energy the gridconnected
system results are particularly relevant, which show that in more than half of the analyses
investigating electrical energy demand the incorporation of wind energy offset the CO2 emissions of
the non-renewable elements to such a degree that the whole system had negative CO2 emissions, which
has serious implications for Kyoto Protocol emissions limits. Ireland also has significant potential for
hydropower generation despite only accounting for 2% of the gross electricity consumption in 2010. Wind
and hydro energy should therefore be thoroughly explored to secure an indigenous primary energy
source in Ireland.