Fossil fuels accounted for 90% of energy use in 2017, says SEAI
Fossil fuels accounted for over 90% of all energy used in Ireland last year, according to a new report from the Sustainable Energy Authority Of Ireland.
The SEAI warned that our overreliance on imported fossil fuels could see energy prices increase for households and businesses.
The Authority said that energy prices rose by 3.2% here last year, well above hikes across other European countries and the US.
Their Energy in Ireland report found that the demand for energy here increased by 0.5% in 2017.
While we are overly dependent on fossil fuels, emissions are falling due to a 19% increase in renewable energy.
The report says we are not on track to meet our 2020 renewable energy targets across the heat, electricity and transport.
It also highlighted the benefits of switching to low-carbon energy, saying utilising renewables last year avoided 4.1 million tonnes of carbon and a spend of €439m.
