We cannot have a completely carbon-free electricity system without a grid built to support it.
But right now, we do not have the national electricity grid infrastructure we need to get to a 100% renewable electricity system. We must upgrade our grid to reduce our emissions and cut our electricity bills.
Build our Grid is a campaign to mobilise support for these upgrades.
Fossil fuels are expensive. In fact, we spend €1 million every HOUR importing oil and gas to power our electricity system and fuel our heat supply and transport.
At the same time we are losing clean wind energy that is generated right here in Ireland because of our electricity grid.
Have you ever noticed a wind turbine sitting still even as the wind blows around it? Wind farms are often directed to hault their supply because of capacity limitations on our electricity grid.
We waste about 10 percent of all our renewable energy this way.
Last year that cost us an additional €230 million importing gas that would not have been needed if we were using all the clean energy we were producing.
So we need to upgrade our grid to accommodate all the renewable energy we already have available. AND as we continue to build wind and solar farms and expand our input of clean energy onto the grid, we need to ensure it will be used!
But upgrading our grid will also save us all money. Renewable electricity like wind and solar is cheaper for consumers. Fossil fuel prices are volatile and are determined by international markets and political events. Our families, communities and businesses will continue to be vulnerable to extreme electricity prices while we rely on imported fossil fuels to generate our electricity. The more renewable energy we can use to generate our electricity, the more we can push the expensive fossil fuels off the systems – for good.
One of the major obstacles to grid upgrades in the past has been a lack of political support. That’s why we need you to show your support for immediate and meaningful upgrades to our grid. It’s the only way to get to 100% renewable energy.
Sign the pledge to show your support and tell our leaders to #BuildourGrid.
