The Energy Transition Process in a Rural Area: an Irish Case Study of becoming a Sustainable Energy Community

Most commentators will agree that the net benefit of carbon is over. A paradigm shift is underway to retire the current carbon based energy system, and this energy transition to a low carbon world will be the most difficult challenge that this generation will face. In this paper the Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) Programme is introduced; this new network of Irish communities will become a driver in the current energy transition and is being championed by the Irish national energy agency, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. An SEC is a community in which everyone works together to develop a sustainable energy system for the benefit of the community. This is achieved by aiming, as far as possible, to be energy efficient; using renewable energy where feasible and also to embrace smart energy technologies. This research reports on the establishment of Erris, Co. Mayo as an SEC, and presents three years of data since their energy transition began in 2014. The literature highlights several SEC barriers. The SEC model addresses each of the barriers and directly addresses the problem that communities face due to the lack of sufficient capacity at the start of the energy transition process.