Renewables contribution to energy grid rises in September

The majority of renewable electricity generated last month came from windfarms, which accounted for 34% of all electricity used in Ireland. Picture: David Creedon

Renewable energy sources, between wind and solar, contributed 42% of the total electricity used across the country last month, outpacing gas, data from Eirgrid shows.

In August, renewables contributed 35% to the grid.

Overall, the total electricity system demand stood at 2,715 gigawatt hours (GWh) for September, which is up slightly from August.

The majority of renewable electricity generated last month came from windfarms, which accounted for 34% of all electricity used in Ireland.

The total electricity generated by windfarms also increased during the month to 920GWh in comparison to the 776GWh recorded in September last year.

Eirgrid system operations director Diarmaid Gillespie said the data shows the “continued importance” of wind energy as a source of electricity.

“As we head towards the winter months, we expect the fuel mix to change, with wind generation being more dominant, and a marked increase in demand for electricity, particularly after daylight saving ends and the clock change at the end of October,” he said.

Some 97GWh of electricity came from grid-scale solar last month, accounting for approximately 4% of electricity generated.

Eirgrid said the electricity grid can accommodate up to 75% of electricity from renewable sources at any one time. This is known as the system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP) limit.

Gas accounted for 37% of the total energy generation during September, with 20% of the supply being imported.