Aligning renewable energy targets in the Republic and the North would lower electricity costs across the country, new research has shown.

The Economic and Social Research Institute, backed by the Taoiseach's Shared Island unit, simulated the costs of electricity system operation and investment with separate renewable energy targets in each jurisdiction and compared them to the impact of aligned targets in each part of Ireland.

Both jurisdictions have the same target of 80% renewable electricity by 2030.

The research found aligned targets can lead to lower costs across the whole country. It also found aligned targets lead to higher deployment of renewable energy generation in the North and higher investment in storage in the Republic.

The research also considered scenarios with and without an operational North-South interconnector.

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The interconnector is a 400kV transmission line which will run between the two jurisdictions.

When it is in place, it will facilitate greater energy transmission between the two areas, reducing the requirement to invest in storage.