Cormac Madden
Environment and Sustainability Manager, ESB
As Ireland works towards its climate goals during this decade, businesses have a pivotal role to play in helping achieve those targets.
In a world where people are facing a climate and biodiversity emergency, businesses need to think about how they can be part of a sustainable, low carbon future and actively help the transition to make this happen. Ireland’s ambitious climate targets to 2030 reflect the need to act now.
This will require vision, innovation and significant investment, all built around customer needs.
All-electric future
This approach was taken more than 10 years ago when the Irish Government initiated its electrification of transport programme. ESB was tasked with rolling out Europe’s first nationwide EV public charging infrastructure. Today, there are more than 1,800 charge points across the island of Ireland with an increasing number of people appreciating the environmental benefit of switching to EVs.
Technology and innovation is critical to the energy transition. Mirroring the Government’s targets to decarbonise the electricity sector by 70% by 2030, ESB is continuing to develop a pipeline of renewable generation assets including onshore and offshore wind, solar power and battery storage.
Many of the changes we need are clear today. We are investing in and developing technologies and solutions that will work for the customers and communities we serve.
Investing in communities
“Many of the changes we need are clear today. We are investing in and developing technologies and solutions that will work for the customers and communities we serve,”explains Cormac Madden, Environment and Sustainability Manager at ESB, adding that the company’s ambitions are aligned with Government and EU climate goals.
Central to this vision is enabling customers to make the transition. ESB’s retail arm – Electric Ireland – recently announced a partnership with Tipperary Energy Agency to deliver 35,000 deep home energy upgrades by 2030. This is an important share of the Government’s target for retrofitting a significant proportion of Ireland’s homes in the coming years. ESB’s Smart Energy Services division is also collaborating with large industry users to implement low carbon solutions and reap energy savings.
“There will be challenges as well as opportunities for all of us in making it happen. As we face these, we are looking to this collaboration and innovation to develop solutions. From issuing Ireland’s first corporate public green bond to rolling out the country’s smart metering programme, this has always been our approach” explains Madden. “Since our establishment, we led the transition to electrification. We will continue to help solve the challenges and advance our own, and Ireland’s, low carbon transition,” he adds.
For more information, check out www.esb.ie