Under the draft strategy, hydrogen would allow for further offshore wind deployment without requiring an electricity grid connection. The power generated could be used to produce hydrogen for use onshore and for export, allowing Ireland to achieve its targets of 20GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040 and 37GW by 2050.
Offshore deployment post-2030 “will no longer be strictly limited by grid availability”, the strategy states. It foresees a range of potential applications for green products and services – including green hydrogen and green data – that “may be entirely offgrid, or with a partial connection only to the domestic grid”. It targets 2GW of non-grid-limited capacity in development by 2030.
The strategy says that by 2050, half of the country’s gas-fired power stations will be replaced by hydrogen-fired capacity. It expects domestic demand for renewable hydrogen to rise from 1TWh to 24TWh between 2030 and 2050.
Overseas, European hydrogen demand will outpace supply in the near future, according to the strategy. Ireland could export its hydrogen and derivatives to north-west Europe – Germany, France and the UK – but also North Africa and the Middle East.
To meet demand, the strategy argues for support to be extended from renewable electricity to renewable energy, including green hydrogen – subject to broader financing sources for the support scheme. The cost currently falls on electricity consumers.
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