Wind energy meets target of supplying 50% of electricity needs

Wind energy fulfilled a record 50% of Ireland’s electricity needs at times over the past six months, according to the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA).

On average, wind energy supplied 23% of the electricity market in the December 2013 to May 2014 period, which is the highest level ever for the sector.

This year is expected to see a very significant increase in the sector’s potential output, with approximately 350MW of additional capacity coming on stream, adding enough new wind energy to power more than 225,000 additional houses, and coming on top of the existing Irish wind capacity of over 2,000MW.