- According to the Irish Independent, demand for new gas supplies will soar over the coming decade as data centres look to generate their own power on site. Gas Networks Ireland’s (GNI) latest forecast shows additional demand from data centres is likely to grow at least 10 times between now and 2032. That is because data centres, which need large amounts of power to operate, are looking for ways around restrictions that stop new facilities locating in areas where the electricity network is already under strain. https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/data-centre-growth-to-push-up-fossil-gas-demand-slowing-switch-to-clean-fuels-new-forecast-shows/a1927026078.html
- According to the Business Post Meta has secured permission to use diesel generators to power its Irish data centres, which it has called among the most “sustainable in the world”, if it has to come off the national grid in the event of an energy emergency. The Facebook owner has received a special licence to run back-up generators at the location of its 150,000-square-metre data centre development, making it the latest Big Tech company to get such accreditation in recent years. https://www.businesspost.ie/news/meta-plans-diesel-generators-to-power-one-of-worlds-most-sustainable-data-centres/
- Irish wind farms set a new record for March, generating 43%, or 1,541 gigawatt-hours (GWh)of power last month, new figures show. It surpassed the previous record for the month which was set in March 2020, when 1,392 GWh were generated. The latest report from Wind Energy Ireland shows the average wholesale price of electricity last month was €88.67, down 40% from €145.25 in March 2023 as reported in the Irish Independent. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/irish-wind-farms-break-record-as-turbines-generate-43pc-of-electricity-in-march-report-finds/a1250144377.html.
- As reported by the Agriland, the amount of electricity produced by wind energy hit a new record for March last month, according to a new report. Wind Energy Ireland data published today (Monday, April 8) shows that Irish wind farms generated 1,541 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power in March 2024. https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/kerry-generates-most-wind-energy-in-march-report/
- According to Business Post the car as we know it is dead. That was the prediction a few years ago as the global auto industry prepared for the switch to electric vehicles. Out would go the fossil fuel-guzzling models we drove for a century. In would come the gleaming, gliding battery-powered car that would change how we drive and how we live, stop climate change, and make pollution history. Hold that thought because things might not be going exactly to plan. The world’s biggest makers of electric cars have just reported a drop in EV sales, raising all kinds of questions about the shift to greener travel. https://www.businesspost.ie/analysis-opinion/vincent-boland-brakes-go-on-the-move-to-the-brave-new-electric-car-world/
- As reported in the Irish Independent, Independent TD for Wexford, Verona Murphy, has heavily criticised the government for allowing fuel prices to increase this week. Speaking from Wexford, Deputy Murphy said: “Unfortunately, due to government decisions motorists and transport companies will have seen the cost of fuel rise this week. Decisions like this are absolutely unnecessary and show that the government is completely out of touch with the people. https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/new-ross-news/petrol-and-diesel-hike-is-unnecessary-says-wexford-td/a2058159466.html
- According to Midwest Radio a local TD has called on the Minister for Social to extend the Fuel Allowance season by four weeks. Fuel Allowance is a payment to help with the cost of heating your home during the winter months. It is paid to only one person in a household.? The Fuel Allowance season normally begins in late September of each year and ends in April. The current rate of Fuel Allowance is €33 per week. https://www.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/75474-mayo-deputy-calls-for-the-extension-of-the-fuel-allowance-scheme-for-an-additional-4-weeks
- According to the Independent in the UK, electric vehicle (EV) drivers could struggle to use around two-thirds of Britain’s most common type of public chargepoint because of patchy mobile signals, according to a report. The RAC Foundation, which conducted the research, warned that the issue risks “undermining” confidence in EV infrastructure. https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/rac-foundation-vat-london-government-vodafone-b2524851.html
- According to the Irish Examiner profits at battery-maker LG Energy Solution slumped as slower growth for electric vehicles hurt shipments and profitability. The supplier to General Motors, Volkswagen AG, and Tesla among other automakers, reported 157.3bn Korean won (€107m) in operating profit for the first three months of the year, missing analysts’ estimates. https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/arid-41367994.html
- According to Breaking News Tesla has cancelled the long-promised inexpensive car that investors have been counting on to drive its growth into a mass-market carmaker, according to three sources familiar with the matter and company messages seen by Reuters. The carmaker will continue developing self-driving robo-taxis on the same small-vehicle platform, the sources said. The decision represents an abandonment of a longstanding goal that Tesla chief Elon Musk has often characterised as its primary mission: affordable electric cars for the masses. His first “master plan” for the company in 2006 called for manufacturing luxury models first, then using the profits to finance a “low-cost family car.” https://www.breakingnews.ie/business/tesla-scraps-plans-for-low-cost-entry-model-amid-fierce-chinese-competition-1609888.html
