Third-best September on record for Irish wind farms

Irish wind farms have generated 32% of the country’s electricity over the first nine months of the year, Wind Energy Ireland has said

Silhouetted wind turbine at a rural windfarm.

Ireland's wind generation in September was the third highest on record for this month, Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) has said in its latest wind energy report.

New figures show that wind energy provided 28% of Ireland's electricity last month, while solar power and other renewables accounted for 3%. 

Irish wind farms have generated 32% of the country’s electricity over the first nine months of the year, WEI added, however, it noted that the average wholesale electricity price last month was the highest so far in 2024 as consumers continue to feel the pain of our dependency on imported fossil fuels.

Kerry wind farms continued to lead the way in decarbonising Ireland's electricity supply, producing more wind energy than any other county at 108 GWh. 

Cork wind farms came in second with 107 GWh, Tipperary and Galway tied for third place at 66 GWh and Mayo was the final county to reach the top five, producing 56 GWh.

“It is really positive to see the contribution that renewable energy made in September, with our wind farms providing more than a quarter of Ireland’s electricity last month," said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of WEI.

“To use the renewable electricity being produced by our wind and solar farms, we need a strong electricity grid that can carry the power to our homes and businesses.

“Wind Energy Ireland has welcomed the Government’s announcement to invest €750m in the development of Ireland’s electricity grid as part of Budget 2025. 

"We believe that it is an important investment in Ireland’s future so that we can continue to power local communities and grow our economy with more clean electricity.” 

The CEO added that Irish wind farms cut carbon emissions by twice as much as every other renewable energy source combined last year, with Wind power its "number one source of clean energy."

“To meet the needs of our growing economy, we need to accelerate the delivery of new wind farms."

Prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity fall by over 20% to €86.35 per megawatt hour and rise to €135.64 on days when Ireland relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.

“Affordability is really important to Irish families and businesses," Mr Cunniffe said.

“Every time a wind turbine or a set of solar panels is generating electricity, it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices and increasing our supply of clean energy.”