Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) is calling for electricity grid reforms amid concern over high volumes of wasted energy. Record levels of constraints on the grid are limiting the amount of power Irish wind farms are allowed to provide, WEI said.
Over the first ten months of the year, 14% of wind energy production was lost because of challenges with the transmission network, the WEI said. This is partly due to wind energy being lost because the electricity grid is not strong enough to carry it.
When this happens, wind farms are instructed to reduce the amount of power they produce or shut down completely, resulting in the use of more expensive fossil fuels instead of cheaper clean energy.
WEI called again for the incoming Government to make the reinforcement of our electricity grid a top national priority.
Chief executive officer of WEI Noel Cunniffe (pictured) said: “When our wind and solar farms are generating electricity, we need a strong grid to ensure we can use it and we need long-duration energy storage so we can save the excess renewable energy for when we need it.
“Over the first ten months of the year, 14 per cent of wind energy production was lost because of challenges with the transmission network. Irish families and businesses simply cannot afford to be using expensive, imported, fossil fuels instead of cheaper clean energy simply because the grid is not strong enough to carry it.
“That is why we are calling for cross-party political support for the reinforcement of our electricity grid, as set out in EirGrid and ESB Networks’ national plans, to be among top the priorities for political parties entering into negotiations to form our next government. Investing in our electricity grid is a vital investment in our future.”
WEI has published its monthly wind energy report, which revealed more than a quarter of Ireland’s power came from wind farms last month, with the country’s cheapest renewable energy meeting 32 per cent of electricity demand over the first 11 months of 2024.
Despite a drop in wind power generation compared to previous Novembers, strong winds during the second half of last month resulted in wind farms providing 29 per cent of Ireland’s clean electricity, while solar power and other renewables accounted for an additional three per cent, the report said.
The average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour during November 2024 was €146.14, which is the highest it has been during the previous 12-month period.