Aberdeen sells its world-first hydrogen bus fleet at 6% of purchase price

Aberdeen City Council is set to sell its fleet of hydrogen double-deck buses, the first of their kind in the world when the fleet entered service in 2021, for around 6% of the purchase price, Hydrogen Insight reported on 2 September. The buyer of most of the vehicles plans to convert them to battery-electric.

Irish read-across. Bus fleets are electrifying, and the buyer taking most of the Aberdeen vehicles is converting them to battery-electric. The National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann ran three Wrightbus Streetdeck H2 FCEV double-deckers on route 105X between Dublin and Ratoath from 2021 at a State cost of about €2.4m, the same manufacturer and the same vehicle generation as the Aberdeen fleet.

Battery electric cars take 26.3% of the Irish new car market to August

SIMI figures published on 1 September put 32,079 new battery electric cars on the road in the first eight months of 2026, up 55% on the 20,642 registered in the same period of 2025. August itself added 2,265 battery electric cars, a 7% rise on August 2025. Battery electric now leads the new car market by engine type at 26.3%, ahead of petrol-electric hybrid at 24.14%, petrol at 20.09%, plug-in hybrid at 14.85% and diesel at 12.56%. Electric light commercial vehicles reached 1,504 year to date, up 11.57%, and SIMI Director General Brian Cooke called for Budget 2027 to extend incentives.

EU gas storage reaches 66.35% on the 5 September read

Gas Infrastructure Europe recorded EU underground storage at 66.35% full on 5 September, holding 750.15 TWh, up from the 63% reported in the final week of August. Germany sits at 54.04% and the Netherlands at 49.15%, while Italy is at 83.45% and Poland at 95.11%. The Commission relaxed the filling target to 80% earlier in the year under the flexibility in the Gas Storage Regulation.

Irish read-across. Ireland holds no domestic gas storage and 78% of Irish gas arrived through the Moffat entry point from Britain in 2024, so north-west European fill levels and the TTF curve set Irish gas and power costs directly through the heating season.

Micheál Martin names energy affordability a Budget 2027 focus

Taoiseach Micheál Martin signalled on 3 September that energy costs would be a significant focus of Budget 2027, describing energy affordability as real and urgent, alongside income tax cuts and measures for business. The signal follows the National Energy Affordability Taskforce work reported in No. 016, where KPMG is collating options including a lower VAT rate for electricity subject to an EU derogation, a Public Service Obligation levy rebate and household battery storage grants. Separately, the Social Democrats proposed a €400 one-off energy credit for households earning under €70,000, and Budget talks are examining whether the scheduled annual carbon tax increase proceeds.

Darragh O’Brien sets out Ireland’s energy priorities for the EU Presidency

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien presented Ireland’s energy and environment priorities for the EU Presidency to European Parliament committees on 1 September, welcoming the Electrification Action Plan among the files Ireland will carry. The Presidency runs to the end of the year and includes the informal energy council in Dublin on 28 and 29 September and the formal Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council on 29 October, where the networks package and the emissions trading system revision are the stated priorities.

A Dublin seismic survey will map geothermal heat under the city

Minister O’Brien welcomed plans for a Dublin seismic survey at a European geothermal district heating event in Dublin on 3 September, aimed at establishing what geothermal resource sits in the bedrock beneath the city and at what depth it can be accessed. Geothermal is positioned as a renewable heat source that supplies buildings without drawing on the electricity grid.

Government extends planning exemptions across water, energy and transport

Government is introducing a set of planning exemptions covering water, energy and transport infrastructure, Business Post reported on 5 September. The existing exemption for solar panels on certain sites will be broadened to include Uisce Éireann, enabling additional renewable generation on water and wastewater assets, which are among the larger single electricity consumers in the State.

Energy costs push Irish inflation to 3.4%

Central Statistics Office flash figures published on 1 September put Irish inflation at 3.4%, with energy costs rising an estimated 4.3% between July and August. Euro zone inflation rose back above 3% in August on the same driver, strengthening the case for a second European Central Bank rate rise in September. Pinergy has announced a price increase adding around €169 a year to affected household bills from this month.

Teagasc puts solar PV at 59% of energy use on a spring-calving dairy farm

A Teagasc study published on 31 August found solar photovoltaic systems economically viable and emissions-reducing on dairy farms, with solar PV supplying 59% of total energy on a spring-calving operation, battery storage 18% and grid imports the remaining 23%. Spring-calving systems showed the strongest results because milking demand aligns with the solar profile. Teagasc separately published the InformBio study mapping a pathway for Ireland to reach climate neutrality while increasing both food and energy production.

ESB reaches final investment decision on the 96MW Chleansaid wind farm

ESB announced on 2 September that it has reached Final Investment Decision and executed construction contracts for the 96MW Chleansaid wind farm in Scotland. Paul Lennon, Head of Renewables at ESB, described the decision as a major milestone for the project.