Who We Are
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) is Ireland's national energy authority. Established under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002, SEI promotes and assists environmentally and economically sustainable production, supply and use of energy, in support of Government policy, across all sectors of the economy.
SEI is a state body operating under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The Authority operates from its offices at Wilton Park House, Wilton Place, Dublin 2.
Origins: The Irish Energy Centre
The roots of Sustainable Energy Ireland lie in the Irish Energy Centre (IEC), which was established by the Irish Government in 1990. The Irish Energy Centre was set up to promote the efficient use of energy across all sectors of the Irish economy, and to facilitate the development of renewable energy sources.
The Irish Energy Centre was established in the context of Ireland's growing recognition that energy efficiency and the development of indigenous renewable resources were essential both to economic competitiveness and to the reduction of Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels. At the time of its establishment, Ireland was heavily reliant on imported oil, coal and gas to meet the majority of its energy needs.
The Irish Energy Centre operated for over a decade, developing programmes across the industrial, commercial, public sector, residential and transport sectors. It also played a central role in Ireland's participation in European Union energy programmes including SAVE, Altener and the Joule-Thermie programme.
The Transition to Sustainable Energy Ireland
In 2002, the Irish Government enacted the Sustainable Energy Act 2002, which dissolved the Irish Energy Centre and established Sustainable Energy Ireland as a new statutory body with an expanded mandate and formal legislative underpinning.
The Sustainable Energy Act 2002 gave SEI a broad remit to promote and assist the development of sustainable energy in Ireland. This included the promotion of energy efficiency, the development of renewable energy sources, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector, and the provision of information and advice to consumers, business and the public sector.
The transition from the Irish Energy Centre to Sustainable Energy Ireland reflected the Irish Government's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and to Ireland's obligations under EU Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources. It also reflected a broadening of the energy policy agenda — from a primary focus on energy efficiency to a more integrated approach encompassing efficiency, renewables, emissions reduction and sustainable development.
Mission Statement
The mission of Sustainable Energy Ireland is to promote and assist the development of sustainable energy in Ireland.
SEI pursues this mission by:
- Promoting energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy
- Supporting the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies
- Providing information, advice and financial support to consumers, businesses and the public sector
- Administering Government energy programmes and schemes on behalf of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources
- Representing Ireland's interests in European Union energy programmes
- Conducting and commissioning research, development and demonstration in sustainable energy
- Supporting energy education in Irish schools and third-level institutions
Mandate and Functions
Under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002, SEI has statutory functions in the following areas:
- Energy Efficiency — promoting efficient use of energy in homes, businesses, industry, transport and the public sector
- Renewable Energy — supporting the development of wind, solar, bioenergy, hydropower and other renewable sources
- Combined Heat and Power (CHP) — promoting the efficient simultaneous generation of heat and electricity
- Research, Development and Demonstration — funding and conducting research into sustainable energy technologies
- Information and Advice — providing authoritative information to all sectors on energy efficiency and renewable energy
- EU Programmes — managing Ireland's participation in EU energy framework programmes
Context: Ireland's Energy Situation in 2002
At the time of SEI's establishment, Ireland faced significant challenges in meeting its energy policy objectives. Ireland was almost entirely dependent on imported fossil fuels — principally oil, natural gas and coal — for the majority of its energy needs. Peat, produced domestically by Bord na Móna, contributed a declining but still significant share of electricity generation.
Ireland had committed to targets under the Kyoto Protocol and under EU Directive 2001/77/EC, which set a target of 13.2% of Irish electricity from renewable sources by 2010. In 2002, the principal developed renewable energy source was wind energy, with a growing number of wind farms operating principally in the west and midlands. Hydropower made a small but established contribution. Solar energy remained at an early and experimental stage, with minimal installed capacity.
The establishment of SEI on a statutory footing in 2002, with a clear legislative mandate, represented a significant step in placing sustainable energy policy on a durable institutional basis in Ireland.
The Irish Energy Centre Domain
The original internet domain of the Irish Energy Centre was irish-energy.ie. This domain transferred with the transition to Sustainable Energy Ireland and served as the official SEI website address through the organisation's existence. When SEI was renamed as the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) in 2006, a new domain was adopted. The original irish-energy.ie domain has since been retained as a historical archive, preserving both the 1998 Irish Energy Centre site and this 2002 Sustainable Energy Ireland site as primary source records.