Wind energy provided 32% of Ireland’s electricity in April 2022, up 7% on April 2021, according to the latest Wind Energy Ireland monthly report.
Last month was the most power ever provided by wind in the month of April and follows a strong first quarter where wind provided around 39% of Ireland’s electricity, the trade body said.
The large volume of wind energy produced in April helped to push down the average wholesale price of electricity for the month of April to €218.26 per megawatt-hour from its record high in March, according to the study.
However, this is still a 155% increase in prices from April 2021 and reflects Ireland’s continued reliance on expensive imported fossil fuels.
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Every month wind energy is cutting our carbon emissions and helping to insulate Irish consumers from the worst effects of our dependence on expensive imported gas.
“Every new wind farm and solar farm connecting to the electricity system helps to make Ireland more energy independent. We need to accelerate the development of clean, cheap, renewable energy to push fossil fuels out of the electricity market.
“Our planning system must be reformed and properly resourced to ensure that the renewable energy projects needed by the Climate Action Plan can get properly, but quickly, examined and we can move forward with getting those projects built.”
The results of this report are based on EirGrid’s SCADA data compiled by MullanGrid and on market data provided by ElectroRoute.