Ireland is on track to reach its 2020 renewable energy target to source 40% of its electricity from clean power, after a strong second quarter saw wind energy alone deliver almost 29% of the country’s electricity.
Figures released today by the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) show that wind provided 28.5% in the second quarter, up from 26.1% last year.
IWEA chief executive David Connolly said: “Ireland is number one in the world for the share of electricity demand met by onshore wind.
“Last year we broke records by providing a third of the country’s electricity and, along with smaller contributions from other renewables, we are now clearly on track to reach Ireland’s 40% 2020 renewable electricity target.
“More wind power means less carbon emissions. It means fewer fossil fuel imports. It means more jobs and more investment in Ireland.”
Two new wind farms totalling 34MW were connected and planning permission was obtained for another 136MW of wind energy between 1 April and the end of June.
Total installed capacity in Ireland is now 4.235GW, IWEA said.
The sector generated 1,844,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) in the period, down slightly on the 1,874,000 MWh created in the same period last year.
This was down to a fall in demand caused by the Covd-19 pandemic, IWEA added.
The organisation said that on Friday 31 July the Supreme Court quashed a government plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which means that a new plan is needed to enable Ireland to build a zero-carbon society by 2050.
Connolly said: “Wind energy will be Ireland’s number one source of electricity in five years. As we electrify heat and transport the need to develop more renewable electricity and to do it more quickly is only going to grow more urgent.
“It is essential, if we are to play our part in the fight against climate change, that the government prioritises reforming our planning system so we can develop wind energy off our coasts and ensures that the new wind energy guidelines enable us to build the next generation of onshore wind farms.
“It is this government that must ensure we have the right policies and the right strategies to enable industry to reach the target set out in the Climate Action Plan to provide 70% of Ireland’s electricity from renewable energy by 2030 and to go even further to a decarbonised energy system.”