In July, the highest surge in electricity consumption was noted during the All-Ireland hurling and football finals, as reported by EirGrid, the power network operator. It observed that the power consumption increased substantially during half-time and other interruptions in both finals. Unlike other prolonged sports events such as the Olympics in which Ireland participated but without fixed breaks, these finals noticeably impacted the power grid.
EirGrid also recorded an unprecedented solar energy production amount that month, registering 118 gigawatt hours (GWh). Close to a third of all electricity produced in July, specifically 28.7%, was from renewable sources. Wind farms constituted slightly above a fifth of all energy generated, with 21.5% contribution. Solar farms provided 4.5% and, hydropower and biomass along with other sources furnished 2.7%.
Natural gas, with roughly half of it imported, was utilised in creating 44.6% of electricity used in July, while coal was responsible for 5.5% of electricity generation. The remaining 1% was sourced from other miscellaneous contributions.