Staying power: the challenges facing our energy sector

Now in its seventh year, the 2020 National Power Summit took place at Croke Park’s Cusack Suite on Thursday, January 30, with four themes running throughout the programme: transforming the energy sector, enhanced interconnection, empowering the customer and intelligent storage. Aimed at policy-makers, regulators, consultants, IT managers and others working in the field, the event covered Ireland’s energy sector from a diverse range of expert perspectives

From left: Róisín Cullinan, Networks and Emergency planning manager, Commissions for Regulation of Utilities (CRU); Professor Derek Bunn, Professor of Decision Sciences, Management Science and Operations, London Business School; Brian Mullins, head of regulatory affairs, Gas Networks Ireland; Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir, director, SFI MaREI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, University College Cork; Muireann Lynch, research officer, Economic and Social Research Institute; Neil Naughton, executive chairman, Glen Dimplex; Sarah Murphy, managing director, Business Post EventsPictures: Maura Hickey

Marie Donnelly, chairperson of Renewable Energy Ireland, opened the 2020 National Power Summit with a discussion of a “third revolution of energy”, highlighting the increased presence in Ireland of service companies that rely on technology to reach their customers. Donnelly divided the energy needs of these companies into three categories: heating and cooling, power and transport. She discussed how poor insulation is costing Irish homes and offices more than it should, and is a key ...