Installed capacity forecast of offshore renewables in Ireland up to 2050

The transition to renewable energy sources is a critical component of global efforts to mitigate climate change. With its extensive coastline, offshore renewables offer significant potential for Ireland’s energy transition. To meet the target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, expediting the shift to renewables is imperative. To assess this transition, this study employs an optimisation algorithm to project the penetration of offshore renewables in Ireland up to 2050. The numerical model accounts for the energy dispatch from various power plants while considering the effects and constraints of electricity demand, demand side management, import/export limits, critical excess of energy production, energy storage, and CO2 emissions. With the target of minimising the total cost of energy, the installed capacity of offshore wind and solar power is projected. The results have significant implications for the policy formulation to support the development of offshore wind and solar.