Green Energy in Ireland

Since the 1880s when the industrial revolution started, greenhouse gas emissions have been slowly rising. The sea levels have too. In Ireland, this can mean a whole array of things. From tourism plummeting because paths and beaches are gone to towns flooding and businesses having to close. Per capita, each person in Ireland is responsible for 88 tons of carbon per year. These greenhouse gases come mainly from Heating, Industrial plants, Electricity Generation, Aviation, Transport and Agriculture. It is vital that we switch to a green energy source.

Ireland has joined the European green deal to help climate change. Europe wishes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030. Then, by no later than 2050 reach net-zero emissions. Ireland has been among the worst at holding up its end of the agreement, with carbon emissions rising instead of decreasing. It is clear that this is an issue, but why does it affect you?

What does climate change mean for Ireland?

While the thought of having warmer temperatures may sound appealing at first, it is not the true meaning of ‘temperatures rising’. Due to global warming Ireland is and will experience wetter winters and dryer summers. This means flooding and drought. Many Irish towns are built beside rivers and seasides. There are already around 400 flood sites in Ireland, some of which have got seawalls and other protections against flooding. Others do not. Towns across Ireland flood every year and we are not equipped with the correct drainage or resources to fix the issue.

In Ireland, this affects businesses and homes being flooded. Meaning floors, furniture and even buildings infrastructures being ruined. However, it’s not nearly as bad as Mozambique, Brazil, and Indonesia (the list goes on). In countries abroad, people are canoeing through cities and swimming on rooftops because the flooding has accelerated so much. While global warming is affecting Ireland greatly it is nothing compared to these terrifying natural disasters that will continue to worsen if action is not taken. There are 200 million refugees due to climate change from more vulnerable countries. This is because they are being affected by more intense flooding, drought and natural disasters than ever before making more land every day uninhabitable.

Economic issues

In Ireland, erosion and flooding can mean devastating results for tourism in small towns. Many places in Ireland are visited specifically for their beaches and seaside walks, family trips to holiday homes on the ocean’s edge for water sports or sailing camps. Events are being postponed due to flooding, or cancelled forever, ruining these small towns’ economies. There are of course flood protection programmes, but they are multi-million-euro operations that cannot be done fast enough.

Our harbours and docks are built at sea level. These may get flooded with higher water and harbours will begin to disappear. Most of our goods are imported or exported, and most of that is done by cargo ships. That means trading with other countries could become limited or abolished altogether. 

Crops that we grow here may not find that this is not the right environment to thrive in anymore (potatoes!!!), this would impact our farmers, and the food industry incredibly. 

What’s causing climate change?

Fossil fuels have sped up global warming at an alarming rate. The use of diesel and petrol for transport, oil, gas, turf and peat for heating, electricity from non-renewable sources and agriculture are some of the causes. 

Transport is usually the highest production of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland, but according to SEAI.ie in 2020 it was heating, which accounted for a whopper of 40.8%. That’s why SEAI is offering grants to install green energy sources in homes and businesses.

So, what does this mean? Well, fossil fuels are being burned in oil heaters and gas boilers and used to heat your business and home. What if we shave that down to a percentage of what it is now? 

What can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?

To reduce our carbon footprint, we need to replace the majority of our heating and transport systems with green energy sources. Ireland agreed with the European green treaty to run on 80% renewable energy. To do so, they have agreed to increase the number of electric vehicles to around 1 million by 2030, including 1500 electric buses. So, if you’re able, upgrade to an electric car or try to get public transport, walk or cycle to your work or school. 

Reduce your food waste. Food in landfills turns into methane gas which is one of the strongest greenhouse gases.

As it stands, electricity production takes up 20% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to an electricity company that uses a renewable source of electricity, like windmills, solar panels or hydropower would decrease your carbon emissions.

Heat Pumps

To decrease your greenhouse gas emissions switch to a green energy source like Heat pumps.  After installation, heat pumps cost a fraction of what you would be paying on your boiler or gas heater. Therefore, they can reduce your energy output by 70-80%. SEAI.ie provides heat pump grants for you to install them in your home or business. There are different types of heat pumps, depending on what you want from them. They range in price, size, and where they get their renewable energy.

There are ground-water heat pumps that get their heat from deep underground. Liquid travels through pipes to gain heat that is then transferred into energy. This energy then heats your water to travel around your heating systems, Air-water heat pumps that get their heat from the air outside. Water-water heat pumps get their heat from a water source. Mastertherm will design and tailor your industrial heat pump to suit your business needs and can be controlled by an app on your phone!

How Do Heat Pumps Work?

Heat pumps use a small amount of electricity which you can source from renewable sources such as solar panels, windmills and hydro. They can be used in any industry as heating and cooling systems. Chilled water is typically generated by chillers and heat by LPHW or steam boilers. Using a heat pump to replace both of these would have a huge impact on your carbon footprint, because they use a fraction of the energy, by taking 70-80% of their energy from natural sources. They can be a gas boiler replacement or an oil boiler replacement as well, which means you will be protected against the rising prices of oil, as it costs up to 75% less to heat your house using a heat pump.

Some examples of heat pumps for the industry would be production and processing technologies, stationery, chemical and biochemical production, manufacturing, engineering, in the agricultural sector, food production and processing, brewing beer and other beverage production, hotels, office buildings and business centres. 

Industrial Heat Pump

In industrial plants and factories, there is a large demand for heating and cooling. Water is heated using harmful and expensive fossil fuels. Refrigeration systems expel heat waste and pump it into the earth’s atmosphere, wasting energy and water. Heat pumps can utilise and convert that heat energy to heat the water systems by compressing it until it is at a suitable temperature. This can save a company thousands or even millions of euros that would be spent on fossil fuels otherwise. By creating a heat pump system to suit your company’s needs, MasterTherm could give you a cheaper, greener solution for your produce and production. We can even heat your attached offices and/or building.

Heat pumps aren’t only suitable for factories in Industry. That can be a great solution for big or small commercial buildings that require heat in the winter and air conditioning units in the summer. This can include schools and universities, corporate offices, hospitals or other medical facilities, and care homes. (anywhere that would benefit from constant heating and an air conditioning service). Because heat pumps use so much less energy, it means lower bills. Industries can now have constant comfort for their employees, patients, students and guests.

Why MasterTherm?

Heat pumps can be used in commercial settings, especially those that require heating and cooling. A MasterTherm heat pump solution can be an efficient way of repurposing heat energy that otherwise would have been wasted. This will make your company more sustainable and profitable.

MasterTherm heat pumps are ultra-quiet, have a 7-year warranty, give you lower heating bills and can be controlled easily from a tablet or phone using inverter technology.

We will design and tailor a personalised heating system to suit your industry needs. Whether it’s for a complex monitored heating and cooling system using rejected heat, or a central heating system with air-conditioning. MasterTherm will ensure that your business is getting the maximum benefit from your heat pump system.

If you’re looking for a heating and hot water solution for your building, we may suggest multiple heat pumps working together. If you are unsure about how to start the journey to renewables using heat pumps, contact us and we can start by creating a bespoke design for your heating system.