Ireland’s dreams of exporting wind power are plausible

it is an ill wind that blows no one any good. But rising temperatures—and the need to slash Europe’s dependence on Russian energy—are a boon for Ireland’s ambitions to become a big exporter of electricity. The country produces no nuclear energy, oil or coal, and only enough gas to meet some 30% of its needs. But it has one of the windiest coasts on the planet. “Wind is Ireland’s oil,” said Micheal Martin, Ireland’s prime minister, at Davos this year. “Certainly, by the mid-2030s we want to be exporting energy.” Last year 31% of Ireland’s electricity came from wind turbines, according to Wind Europe, an industry group. The share was higher only in Denmark, which managed 44%. Already this year Ireland’s figure has risen to 36%. The Irish government wants to push its renewables share up to 80% by 2030; it beat this target briefly during one especially stormy weekend in February this year. The hope is that improvements in energy storage, and a new electricity interconnector with France which is due to come online in 2026, will allow Ireland to sell surplus wind power to European countries that are struggling to decarbonise their own energy supplies.