Renewables provided a third of electricity in September

Grid-scale solar accounted for 2.7% of electricity in September.

Electricity from renewable sources provided for a third of total demand in September, according to provisional data from grid operator EirGrid.

The majority of renewable electricity generated last month came from wind farms, which accounted for just under 29% of all electricity used in Ireland. Total generation from wind energy amounted to 776 GWh over the month, the second-highest September figure on record. Overall, renewables provided 33.5% of electricity in September.

EirGrid said 72 GWh of electricity came from solar farms last month, roughly on par with May’s figure following successive strong months for solar generation in July and August Grid-scale solar accounted for 2.7% of electricity in September.

Gas generation accounted for 44% of all electricity used in September, with just under 16% being imported via interconnection, 5.5% coming from coal, and the remaining 2% from other sources.

"While solar generation was down from record highs during the summer, the September total was still higher than for any month last year, which signals the progress being made in connecting greater amounts of renewable energy to the national grid," EirGrid director of system operations Diarmaid Gillespie said.