Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) reported that nearly one-third of Ireland’s electricity was produced by wind farms in the initial seven months of the current year, a slight decrease compared to the equivalent timeframe in 2023 due to recent favourable weather conditions. Representing businesses in the wind energy industry, the association indicated that 656 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power were generated by wind farms in July, marking a 34% drop from the same period in 2023, thus ranking it the third most productive July for wind energy in history.
On Monday, data was released showing that in July, wind energy fulfilled 22% of the country’s electricity requirements, down from the 33% in July 2023, which had set a new record primarily due to unstable weather conditions. Throughout the first seven months of the year, wind production contributed 32% of the overall electricity production, according to WEI.
Meanwhile, as the meteorological conditions became more favourable from July into early August, solar energy and other renewable sources accounted for 7% of the total electricity produced. The average wholesale electricity prices rose from €107.74 in June to €110.94 in July, as reported by WEI. Conversely, the prices on the days with the highest power output decreased by 36% to €70.30 per megawatt hour, and surged to €129.95 on the days when there was heavy dependency on fossil fuels such as natural gas.
Justin Moran, WEI’s director of external affairs, pointed out that electricity produced by Irish wind farms reduces dependency on imported fossil fuels and thereby reduces the wholesale cost of electricity. He stressed that increased reliance on wind energy would reduce the necessity for costly imported gas and help ease the strain of high energy costs on Irish households.
However, he also emphasised that the government needs to strengthen the electrical grid by integrating additional onshore and offshore wind farms, solar farms, and battery projects within a relatively short timeframe to fulfil the Coalition’s climate objectives.
According to Moran, recent investments in An Bord Pleanála have accelerated the decision-making process for planning applications related to renewable energy projects. He hopes for this trend to continue, as quicker clearance of projects from the planning system would hasten their construction and commencement of clean electricity delivery to power homes, businesses, and local communities.
Last month, the advocacy group disclosed that An Bord Pleanála had given the green light to four schemes, with a collective capability to generate 228 megawatts (MW) of power, during the first six months of the year. Nonetheless, it turned down eight initiatives which, well combined, could have produced a total of 459MW. Additionally, as of the closure of June, there were still 30 undertakings, with the potential to provide 1,766MW of energy, pending approval.