Ireland’s wind farms provided 34% of the country’s electricity last year, saving almost €2bn for gas, new research has shown.
According to an analysis published by energy specialists Baringa, Ireland’s wind farms share of the country’s electricity supply rose by four percentage points compared to 2021.
The Baringa analysis found that without wind energy, Ireland would have had to spend an additional €1.65bn on gas for power generation in 2022 and an extra €340m on carbon credits to produce electricity by burning that gas.
The savings were particularly significant on days with extremely high gas prices and large volumes of wind energy on the electricity system.
On a single day – Tuesday 8 March – the combination of high winds and soaring gas prices delivered a total avoided cost of €43m in just 24 hours.
The report also looked at the role of wind energy in Northern Ireland and identified additional total savings there of £500m.
Wind Energy Ireland confirmed that the country’s wind farms provided 34% of its electricity in 2022, a total of 13,213GWh, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of nearly 3m Irish families.
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “The best way out of this energy crisis is to accelerate the development of renewable energy, to ensure more of our power is provided here, at home, creating Irish jobs and supporting local communities.
“The government’s plan to reform the planning system by putting in place mandatory timelines for decisions needs to be fully supported and we need total political backing, right across the Oireachtas, for EirGrid’s strategy to reinforce the country’s electricity grid.
“We cannot build the wind farms we need without a planning system that is fit for purpose and we cannot get the power to where it is needed without a much stronger electricity grid. Both of these issues must be top priorities for all political parties in 2023.”