Variable winds

YOUR report headlined ‘Record day for wind energy’ (May 31) cited a figure of 1120MW achieved on Monday, April 5.

Eirgrid figures show a low of 50MW was recorded at about 10am on the previous day. This is not crucial, given it was a Sunday and weekends being normally times of low demand.

However, on the day after (Tuesday, April 6) a low of 150MW was recorded at 10am during the business day, and the highest figure on the April 8 was 260MW recorded at 3am when demand is more than catered for.

This is not to slight wind as a resource and a component of Ireland’s energy strategy, but it does your readers no service simply to reprint the Irish Wind Energy Association press releases — particularly when a comparison is invited to Moneypoint which is driven to actual needs rather than fickle breezes.

Mark Dowling

134 Springdale Boulevard

Toronto

Canada M4J1W9