Prolonged Storm Éowyn power cuts highlight the dire need to build our electricity resilience

If this storm erodes public confidence in electrification, it could lead to backtracking

In this month’s column for the Irish Times MaREI researcher Dr Hannah Daly at ERI, University College Cork discusses the impact of Storm Éowyn. 

Days and days without heat and water. No oven or microwave to cook a hot meal. Uncharged phones; no internet. Whole towns sold out of bread and gas. No power for medical devices. Storm Éowyn’s hurricane-force winds caused unprecedented destruction to Ireland’s electricity network.

For hundreds of thousands, power cuts were deeply uncomfortable and disruptive. But for many – especially the most vulnerable – the consequences have been severe, with lives and livelihoods threatened.

Electricity is something we take for granted until it is gone. This storm has shown how essential reliable power is to modern life. In contrast to Ireland’s typical energy abundance, more than 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack any electricity – an enormous barrier to development. That’s why one of the UN’s sustainable development goals is dedicated achieving universal access to energy.

Read the full article here.