Paul Deane

UCC

Dr Paul Deane is Senior Lecturer in Clean Energy Futures at the Research Ireland-funded MaREI Centre and the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at UCC

Coming down: petrol prices at a service station on Dublin's Richmond Road on August 20th 2022. Photo: RTÉ Brainstorm

Why is the price of petrol going down - and how low will it go?

Reduced oil prices and increased refinery capacity will see drivers pay less for fuel at the pumps

Petrol Prices • 22 Aug 22

A worker walks under pipes connected to the Power of Siberia gas pipeline in Russia. Photo: Andrey Rudakov/ Bloomberg via Getty Images

What happens in Ireland if Russia turns off the gas supply?

We may not see gas shortages, but we would feel the impact of any interruption in supply via higher energy costs

Energy • 27 Apr 22

'A symphony of wind blowing, solar shining and batteries charging in harmony to meet our daily electricity needs is conceptually possible'. Photo: Getty Images

How quickly can we ramp up renewables to deliver energy needs?

The task is well underway, but there are some significant challenges to overcome first

Energy • 21 Mar 22

'The major challenge in moving away from fossil fuels relates to how energy is consumed across our economy rather than how it is produced'

The Russian energy crisis and Ireland's reliance on fossil fuels

We have over two million vehicles, one and a half million houses and a quarter of a million businesses that use fossil fuels

Ireland • 02 Mar 22

Retrofitting your home is expensive so can the State link repayments of the costs to the lifetime of the property?

5 radical ways the Government can tackle climate change

If the Government is serious about its hugely ambitious Climate Action Plan, it will have to try things that have not been tried before

Climate Change • 20 Jan 22

"Humans are irrational and emotional, making us hard to predict"

Just why is it so hard to predict the future?

We have the collective human skills today to understand the choices we have to make for the future we want

Society • 11 Nov 21

"While we are making progress on renewable electricity, with 40% coming from renewables last year, we still generate most of our power from fossil fuels so international gas prices matter."

Why have electricity prices increased so much this year?

The root cause is not one single issue but rather a series of events that have tended to reinforce and amplify a problem of demand outrunning supply..

Electricity • 29 Sep 21

"A challenge in climate change messaging has been the emphasis on either dystopian narratives of societal collapse or utopian visions of perfect technology futures"

What's in a name? Why 'global warming' became 'climate change'

The technical and scientific jargon around climate change may have evolved, but the problems and challenges remain

Climate Change • 25 Aug 21

Today, Ireland has many of the correct policies in place such as for electric cars, and renewable electricity, but these will have to be massively scaled and accompanied by new measures to reach the emissions reductions defined in the Bill

The challenges Ireland faces in achieving a 'net zero' economy

The Climate Action Bill is correctly praised for its ambition, but of all the options available to Ireland, waiting is not one of them and decisions must be made early to deliver on the ambition set by the Bill.

Climate Action • 12 Apr 21

"The world of climate action is moving fast and Ireland risks being side-lined in a global race for sustainability."

Why 2021 will be a pivotal year for climate action in Ireland

We must think and act very differently around transport, home heating and farming to reduce emissions

Climate Action • 06 Jan 21