Well, it’s been another bruising week in the world of climate and biodiversity, right?
First we had the European Commission’s hollowing-out of the CSRD and CSDDD Regulations, via the oddly-named Omnibus Simplification Package—has there ever been a more jolly moniker for a more damaging policy shift?—which threatens to leave behind a significantly watered-down set of regulations to drive impact reporting. And then the combined weight and might of the Climate Change and Fiscal Advisory Councils took to the airwaves to remind us all of the “colossal” fines which will be levied against the Government of Ireland if we continue our current pace of societal decarbonisation - I spotted a foreign media outlet kindly label Ireland as “climate laggards”, which is just lovely.
Deep breaths.
The solution to all of this, of course, is to stop fretting about seismic policy shifts at home and abroad—there’s a reason I choose to work with entrepreneurs, rather than take on a lobbying role. I took great heart from the response of one Irish business-owner, who took to the Internet to declare “F*** CSRD. There, I said it.”, as the opening volley in an argument that essentially argued for businesses to take more action on decarbonisation, and spend less time on performative, net-zero, greenwashing antics—slight paraphrasing there.
When I first started writing this newsletter, I described it as being…
“action-focused - my aim is to feature content that shows a pathway for entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors to connect innovation with impact; call it pragmatic optimism”
… which still feels like the right approach. Most of you have continued to stick with me on this journey, so I’m guessing it aligns with your thinking as well - and I really appreciate that. And since this newsletter is about action, here’s a concrete way to turn all this into something useful for your business—today.
The UCD Masters in Design Thinking for Sustainability prepares students to create innovative, sustainable solutions to complex, real-world problems. As part of their programme, the students must complete a project with an organisation (enterprise, non-profit, start-up) that will integrate sustainability into their strategy, operations, and / or governance processes. This is an opportunity to have a bright, enthusiastic, motivated individual to come into your organisation, and make a real impact—in every sense of the word.
I know at least one student in this programme who is currently looking for the right project to join. If you’re interested, just hit reply and I’ll make the connection happen.
We can’t wait for perfect policies, or be diminished into bemoaning the impact of decisions we can’t control. We can act, and there’s no better time than right now.
Here’s the news round-up for Issue 85 of SDG Alpha:
Let’s kick off with some positive start-up investment news: Change by Degrees, a sustainability skills platform co-founded by Dr. Tara Shine and Madeleine Murray, has secured €1M in a funding round led by Value Create Ventures. This investment aims to bolster the company's mission of guiding businesses toward sustainable practices, aligning with global environmental goals. Want even more Change by Degrees in your life? They’re also running a webinar on March 14, which explores the area of sustainable procurement—we were privileged to have one of the webinar speakers, Keith O’Flynn, Sisk’s Group Supply Chain Sustainability Manager, join us on the Bord na Móna Accelerate Green programme yesterday, and he’s a super insightful guy. Highly recommend catching the webinar, if you can.
RWE has submitted plans for the 824MW Dublin Array offshore wind farm, marking a major step in Ireland’s renewable energy expansion.
Bord Gáis Energy recently reported a significant jump in profitability, with returns announced last week showing an operating profit of €75m for 2024—parent company Centrica also signalled their intention to invest over €1B in Irish projects in the next four years.
While the situation is a little more precarious at energy developer Mainstream Renewable Power, as they named Morten Henriksen as the new CEO, effective April 1, 2025, as the company kicks off a major cost-cutting drive. Mainstream, originally founded in Ireland by Eddie O’Connor, will relocate their HQ to Norway as part of the move; majority shareholders Aker Horizons are clearly keen to keep a close eye on things going forward.
And in further unsettling news, Corre Energy is pulling the plug on its Dublin stock market listing, citing financial constraints and a shift towards private funding. The energy storage firm, struggling with cash flow and investor confidence, plans to delist by March 28 if shareholders approve. With shares down 10% on the news, this follows a series of emergency fundraisers, boardroom shake-ups, and concerns over loans tied to its founding shareholder. The company says the move will make it easier to secure new investment, but for now, it's another sign of the turbulence rocking the sector.
Interesting article here in The Journal, which details the range of foreign investors, including oil giants, European utilities, and even a Canadian pension fund, steering the future of Ireland’s offshore wind projects. The government argues outside investment is a “competitive necessity” (a view which I’m inclined to be supportive of) but critics say fossil fuel firms are using wind farms for greenwashing while still raking in profits from polluting fuels. All of this is entirely moot, of course, unless historic planning delays can be addressed—the promised goal of 1GW of offshore wind by 2030 is looking increasingly unlikely at this rate of progress.
€4.3M is being pumped into the Port of Cork for maintenance and upgrades, targeting key sites like the cruise liner terminal, Tivoli, and Ringaskiddy. It's part of a broader expansion push, including a planned second container berth to support offshore renewables. The port is gearing up for a future of larger vessels, green energy, and a shift from the city centre to the lower harbour. Recent funding moves—like last year's €99M state investment and €38.4M in EU grants—are filling financial gaps, ensuring the port stays competitive.
Irish Tar has locked in another corporate power purchase agreement with Flogas, securing 60% of its electricity directly from Donegal’s Glackmore wind farm. Flogas also supplies biomethane and supports energy efficiency measures, reinforcing Irish Tar’s push toward net zero by 2050.
Ireland West Airport is set to generate over 40% of its electricity from a newly approved 1.2MW solar farm: the project received planning permission to proceed, with the airport joining Dublin and Shannon in announcing progress with similar initiatives.
OHK Energy, an Irish renewable energy company, has expanded its portfolio by acquiring Harris Heating & Renewables, a company specialising in sustainable energy solutions.
There’s a really great profile piece in the Business Post about one of the current Bord na Móna Accelerate Green participant companies, Lurgan Foods (the parent company behind consumer brand Biasol, and ingredients company Circular Food Co) as it looks to scale its waste-to-value business that transforms food industry by-products into retail and ingredient solutions. Founded in 2020 by siblings Niamh and Ruairí Dooley, the company started by repurposing spent grain from breweries into baking mixes, oat bars, and granola—now stocked in Tesco, SuperValu, and Aldi.
The Dooley Siblings (centre), and members of the wider Lurgan Foods team. Seven TCD researchers have secured €4.4M in EPA funding to tackle sustainability challenges, from climate adaptation to green nanomaterials. Projects range from fen restoration and power grid resilience to forecasting tree disease resistance and developing eco-friendly solvents.
Very timely opinion piece here from researchers at TASC, examining the development of energy infrastructure through a climate justice lens: using the example of a new LNG storage project in the Shannon region is well-timed, given recent Government announcements.
About a fifth of our island is covered in bog, and about ninety percent of that landscape is considered to be damaged and unable to deliver the significant biodiversity and carbon sequestration services a healthy bog is capable of. PeatSense is a digital service developed by the AI2Peat project, that aims at contributing to the monitoring, restoration and conservations of peatlands at scale, and the project team are keen to get feedback about the tool’s usefulness.
New research from Trinity College Dublin shows that well-managed tourism, including conservation grazing, is helping Ireland’s dunes thrive. Instead of degrading biodiversity, careful intervention—like the Office of Public Works’ low-intensity cattle grazing—has actually boosted plant diversity. Just keep an eye out for sandworms 👀
The Irish Environmental Network (IEN) is seeking tenders for a legislative review on Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE), aiming to assess how well environmental protections are embedded in Ireland’s ORE regulations. The project will analyse national and EU laws, scrutinising their strength in addressing biodiversity and climate crises while identifying legislative gaps. Proposals must be submitted by April 11.
The newly appointed chair of the Irish Seaweed Association has urged the government to implement the recommendations from the 2017 Aquaculture Licensing Review. Emphasising the potential of the seaweed sector, Gareth Murphy warned that without action, Ireland risks losing out on significant opportunities in this growing industry.
Kildare County Council has secured almost €1M to transform the former Athy Christian Brothers School into a Centre for Circular Economy and Regenerative Business Activity. The initiative will support local businesses in adopting sustainable practices, create jobs, and reduce environmental impact. The centre will provide training in recycling, repair, and waste reduction, along with affordable rental spaces for enterprises and social initiatives.
Techies Go Green is hosting a webinar on the environmental impact of data centres, featuring Peter Lantry, MD of Equinix Ireland. With experience spanning Equinix and Hitachi Energy, he’ll share strategies for balancing digital growth with sustainability. You’ll need to join the Techies Go Green Community Network to register for the event on March 13, but it’s free to become a member.
The Environ 2025 conference, hosted by ESAI and UCD from 10th-12th March, is set to be Ireland’s largest environmental research forum, focusing on ‘One Health for a Sustainable Future’ With over 140 presentations, keynote speakers from academia and industry, and workshops on topics like coastal resilience and environmental IoT, it’s shaping up to be a key event for environmental researchers. The programme includes a gala dinner and student awards, reinforcing its role as a major networking and knowledge-sharing platform.
Business for Biodiversity Ireland is kicking off its 2025 Nature Strategy Accelerator with a free online session on March 26. Led by Dr. Emer Ní Dhùill, it’ll cover why businesses should care about nature loss, key regulations, and how to get leadership on board. Similar to the Techies Go Green event, you’ll need to be a registered member of Business for Biodiversity Ireland to participate in the webinar, but it’s free to become a member.
The ESB and HydrogenIreland are co-hosting a webinar on March 18 where industry experts from industry and policy-makers from Ireland and the UK will discuss the need for large-scale energy storage, clean back-up power, and the policies and technologies which will support its delivery.
Women’s Infrastructure Network and the IPFA are working together on an event celebrating the role of women in delivering infrastructure projects; the event brings together notable industry figures like Yvonne Harris (Non Executive Director, Residential Tenancies Board), Fiona Ross (CIE, NTMA), and Mila Lopez Simon (Invesis) to discuss challenges, progress, and why diversity is key to driving innovation. Expect insights, a panel discussion, and plenty of networking—all timed around International Women’s Day.
To close out the issue, it's time for "Three, Sixty", where we pose three questions on the theme of sustainability to an impact entrepreneur or innovator, to get a better understanding in sixty seconds of how they're working to achieve the SDG targets. For Issue 85, I’m delighted to welcome Alan Wyley, CEO of EnergyCloud, a social enterprise looking to alleviate energy poverty.
On a personal level, what impacts of the climate/biodiversity crisis are you most concerned about?
I am very concerned about the speed of decarbonisation in Ireland (and around the World). The move to clean renewable energy is a key part of this for me for all of the reasons you would expect around the environment, climate change etc.
But I am and have always been driven by a desire to support interventions that helps the disadvantaged in society and there is a real opportunity to use this crisis to effect change in Government policy and ensure a Just Transition. We can use renewable energy to heat the homes of those in (energy) poverty, decarbonise the country (reducing our exposure to fines) and reduce waste as well. A win-win-win for everybody.
Which of the UN SDG’s was EnergyCloud established to address?
EnergyCloud supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
How does the EnergyCloud business model enable the transition to a more sustainable future?
EnergyCloud only have one objective, and that is to use surplus renewable energy to end energy poverty. Today we do this on a pilot basis by using surplus renewable energy to provide free tanks of hot water to those in energy poverty. But our ambition is to expand this out to heating homes using this surplus renewable energy and with Government support we hope that we can deliver targeted rebates to those most in need as well as expanding the rollout of technologies in parallel.