Wind Provides 34% Of Power In Ireland

Latest figures from the June Wind Energy report reveal that Ireland’s wind farms generated 34% of the country’s power in the first half of 2024. The report also stated that wind power generation in June was the third highest on record for a June month, with a total of 771 GWh (gigawatt-hours).

Wind energy met 25% of Ireland’s electricity demand last month, an increase of 5% from the same time last year. Solar power, amongst other renewables, provided an additional 8% of electricity.

The Wind Energy Ireland report shows that the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per MWh (megawatt-hour) during June 2024 was €107.74. In terms of location, Kerry regained its top spot as the country’s leading source of wind energy, accounting for 12% of wind power totaling 90 GWh. This was closely followed by Cork (82 GWh), Galway (67 GWh), Donegal (52 GWh) and Tipperary (47 GWh).

“The first half of the year has been strong for Irish wind farms, which have supplied just over a third of our electricity so far this year. That is clean electricity produced in Ireland to power our homes and businesses while cutting our carbon emissions,” said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland. “Every time a wind turbine or solar panel is generating electricity it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices and increasing our supply of clean energy to local communities.”

Wind Energy Ireland’s monthly report comes after the launch of its Repowering Ireland paper, which has warned there is a growing risk that dozens of the country’s wind farms will be forced to shut down before the end of the decade unless the government makes urgent changes to the planning system. The research carried out reveals that 76 sites with a combined capacity of 854 MW will come to the end of their planning permission between now and 2030.

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Noel Cunniffe added: “Ireland can be a leader in Europe’s energy revolution. We have the natural resources, we have the project pipelines and we have the ambition to deliver a zero-carbon society. As well as building new wind farms, we need to enable our existing wind farms that are reaching the end of their planning permission to continue to supply affordable, clean power to Irish families and businesses.

He went on to say “that is why we are urging the government to simplify the process for these wind farms to extend their planning permission from the planning authorities and to put in place policies to support repowering, where the original turbines are taken down to be recycled and new, modern, turbines are installed in their place.”

Overall, this is a great example of how the demand for renewables is constantly growing, creating a cleaner and more sustainable world.

Sources

https://renews.biz/94351/wind-provided-34-of-ireland-s-electricity-in-2024

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2024/0708/1458752-wind-energy-ireland-june-report

https://businessplus.ie/news/wind-farms-34pc-jun24