Ireland hit new record for solar production during March

March 14 saw 750MW of electricity produced from solar power

Fri, 04 Apr, 2025 - 12:15

Martin Claffey

Spring sunshine saw solar power in March hit its third highest ever production levels in a calendar month, with a new record for production set at the peak on Tuesday March 25th.

Some 750MW of electricity from solar was produced at one point on March 25, enough to power around 300,000 homes and 18 MW more than a previous record set in July 2024.

Overall provisional figures from EirGrid show that 39% of electricity came from renewable sources over the month.

EirGrid systems operation manager Charlie McGee said that March was a landmark month for solar power in Ireland. "While just under 3% of total electricity generation came from solar for the month, during particularly sunny periods this peaked at over 18% which augurs well for further records this summer."

In all, March saw the third-highest ever amount of solar powered electricity produced of any calendar month. The encouraging solar power production follows a new peak wind power record on the grid set in February. Wind power met a third of electricity demand in March. Gas was the single biggest source of electricity generation for the month at 39%, and 18% of demand was met by electricity imported via interconnection.

Ireland's electricity grid can accommodate up to 75% of electricity from renewable sources at any one time. Renewable generation reached up to the 75% limit at various points in the month, but there were also periods where renewable generation provided for as little as 5% of demand.

Grid infrastructure is being upgraded to meet a Government target that 80% of Ireland's electricity can come from renewables.

March 14 saw the highest ever level of discharge from grid-scale battery power sources on the grid. This shows the need for battery storage "so we can hold greater amounts of renewable electricity in reserve for use during periods of high demand", said Mr McGee.