A sustainable energy source is one that could make energy without having to have outside resources added to it. The reality is that this doesn’t really exist although renewable energy is the closest to this as possible. Technically, something like solar depends on the sun which is limited but for all practical purposes it’s unlimited for human beings on earth. Tapping into something like solar energy makes sense because it’s there. Even a few hours of sunlight at noon for most places there is hundreds of times more energy there for that local area than is actually used.

Currently other forms of sustainable energy are wind power, geothermal power, and water power. All of these do have some dependence on some other materials. Wind power, for example, requires a lubricant to keep the blades spinning. Currently this lubricant is oil based meaning that if there was no oil currently produced, these wind towers would not be able to spin.

With technology there will be ways of tapping into all this free energy to eventually power society. The huge issue that is faced with renewable energy is storage. Wind doesn’t blow all day and the sun doesn’t shine 24 hours a day. Some sort of battery system is needed else there would be no power for hours during the day. If it could be stored, it could be a solution.

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Ireland actually has the potential to become an energy exporter, rather than a nation so heavily dependent on energy importation. This energy potential resides in Ireland’s substantial wind, ocean wave, and biomass-producing alternative energy potentials. Ireland could become a supplier of ocean wave-produced electricity and biomass-fueled energy to continental Europe and, as they say, “make a killing”. At the present time, Ireland is most closely focused on reaching the point where it can produce 15% of the nation’s electricity through wind farms, which the government has set as a national objective to be reached by 2010. But universities, research institutes, and government personnel in Ireland have been saying that the development of ocean wave energy technology would be a true driving force for the nation’s economy and one which would greatly help to make Ireland energy independent. A test site for developing wave ocean energy has been established in Ireland, less than two miles off the coast of An Spideal in County Galway Bay. This experimental ocean wave harnessing site is known as “Wavebob”. The most energetic waves in the world are located off the West coast of Ireland, says Ireland’s Marine Institute CEO Dr. Peter Heffernan. The technology to harness the power of the ocean is only just emerging and Ireland has the chance to become a market leader in this sector. David Taylor, CEO of the Sustainable Energy Initiative,or SEI, tells us that SEI is committed to innovation in the renewable energy sector. Wave energy is a promising new renewable energy resource which could one day make a significant contribution to Ireland’s electricity generation mix thereby further reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

Padraig Walshe, the president of the Irish Farmers Association, tells us that with the closure of the sugar beet industry, an increasing amount of Irish land resources will become available for alternative uses, including bioenergy production. Today, renewable energy sources meet only 2% of Ireland’s total energy consumption. From a farming perspective, growing energy crops will only have a viable future if they provide an economic return on investment and labour, and if the prospect of this return is secure into the future. Currently the return from energy crops is marginal and is hampering the development of the industry. Biomass energies need to be further researched by Ireland.

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