The Government should lead a national dialogue on accelerating renewable energy to counter misinformation, a collective of solar and wind industry representatives, and leading environmental groups, has said.
The unusual alliance detailed how delivery of renewables and grid infrastructure could speed up, overcoming resistance to projects while protecting the environment.
The thinking is set out in a joint declaration by Wind Energy Ireland (WEI), Solar Ireland with the Environmental Pillar, a network of 32 organisations.
It sets out targeted measures to ensure Ireland builds a zero-carbon electricity system “as quickly – and as sustainably – as possible”.
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The declaration was received by Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien at an event on Thursday.
Ireland must deliver legally-binding cuts to its carbon emissions “while also ensuring we preserve and protect our environment”, it said. “We need to co-ordinate efforts to accelerate delivery of new wind and solar farms with an equally critical focus on how we support and enhance our land and marine biodiversity.”
The declaration highlights the need for improvements across five priority areas including a “nature-inclusive acceleration of renewable infrastructure”; generation of transparent, up-to-date and accessible environmental data; and more inclusive stakeholder engagement, especially at community level.
It sets out how to pursue enhanced planning and calls for increased investment in environmental education.
“Irish people want the affordable, clean, secure energy that wind farms provide,” said WEI director of external affairs Justin Moran. “We need to build more, and faster, but also sustainably in a way that protects, and even enhances, our natural biodiversity.”
Environmental Pillar co-ordinator Karen Ciesielski said that as Ireland accelerates its renewable energy resources, it must do so in a balanced way, prioritising nature restoration while ensuring environmental laws are upheld.
The declaration offered a blueprint for how Government can respond more effectively and urgently to the climate and biodiversity crises through “increased investment in environmental protection and an effective and robust planning system, with better access to environmental data, meaningful public participation and access to justice”, she added.
Ronan Power, chief executive of Solar Ireland, said his industry was committed to “a cleaner, greener future in harmony with nature”.
“By working together with environmental organisations and policymakers, we can ensure renewable growth and biodiversity protection go hand in hand,” he said.
The Minister welcomed the declaration as “it underscores the Government’s commitment to rapidly expanding our renewable energy capacity”.
“We have set out a clear path to scale up wind, solar and grid infrastructure, supported by streamlined planning and regulatory processes to remove bottlenecks and accelerate project delivery,” he said. “All of this is underpinned by a strong commitment to sustainability and protection of our natural environment.”
In prioritising accelerated rollout of renewables and grid infrastructure the groups says this should be complemented by “implementing transparent environmental assessments, as well as mitigation and monitoring throughout development”.
The declaration highlights the need for a comprehensive, standardised, and accessible framework for environmental and marine data collection and sharing, integrating open data initiatives and stakeholder collaboration, “supporting nature-friendly renewable planning while respecting commercial sensitivity”.
“To build awareness and counter misinformation, the Government should lead a national dialogue on accelerating renewable energy, backed by a public information campaign. Greater State resources should be dedicated to early consultation and stakeholder engagement processes to address community concerns as early as possible,” it adds.
In accelerating development, the Government should incentivise “nature-inclusive design”.
Under more timely permitting procedures the group calls for streamlined processing of project applications “while maintaining thorough environmental assessments and public participation – is critical to meeting Ireland’s renewable and climate targets”.
“The Government should deliver this by properly resourcing the permitting and planning process at all levels and give greater certainty of timelines for project development, while ensuring access to justice and meaningful participation in accordance with the Aarhus Convention and in compliance with environmental law.”
It highlights “a critical shortage of skilled personnel to effectively assess, protect, and respond to renewables development and environmental challenges”.
To counter this, it says the Government should establish dedicated funding and collaborative initiatives to enhance training, upskilling, and resource allocation for public bodies, conservation organisations, and professionals in environmental assessment and protection in the context of rapid renewables development. “It should also develop targeted educational programmes and civil society funding to address expertise gaps and promote environmental stewardship.”
