Ireland generates a greater proportion of its electricity from onshore wind than any other country in the world, a new report shows.
The annual Renewables Global Status Report from think tank REN 21 says Ireland is second only to Denmark in the share of electricity provided by wind energy.
Denmark’s supply is boosted by its large offshore wind sector, leaving Ireland with a greater onshore electricity share.
Last year Denmark generated an estimated 47% of its electricity demand, with Ireland generating 32.5 %.
Ireland is also one of only four countries in the world – the others are Denmark, Germany and Uruguay – which met more than 30 per cent of demand last year from variable renewable electricity like wind or solar power.
Irish Wind Energy Association chief executive Dr David Connolly said: “This is an incredible achievement for a country like Ireland and a tribute to almost 30 years of determined effort by our members.
“Last year was a record-breaking year for the industry as we provided a third of the country’s electricity and we are confident our numbers will be even better for 2020. Wind energy provided almost half of Ireland’s electricity during the first three months of the year.”
Total CO2 emissions in Irish electricity generation fell 11.7% in 2018 and 6.9% in 2017, the largest drop of any sector as wind energy displaced fossil fuels. The REN21 report suggests there will be an even larger drop once Ireland’s CO2 figures for 2019 are announced later this year.
The carbon intensity of the Irish electricity system – the amount of CO2 emitted to produce a unit of energy – is now at its lowest level on record, having fallen from 437 g CO2/kWh in 2017 to 377 g CO2/kWh in 2018.
The IWEA said it believed that offshore wind could become the country’s leading power source by the end of 2025 if the country put in place a planning system for it, with a 12GW pipeline so far.
Dr Connolly also paid tribute to the work of Ireland’s electricity system operators in connecting and integrating renewable electricity.
He added: “It is also only because EirGrid is a world leader in integrating renewable electricity onto the system that we are able to take advantage of particularly windy days when up to two-thirds of Ireland is powered by wind.”
Scotland, which is included as part of the wider UK in the study, regularly produces well over 70% of its electricity production from renewables, led by onshore wind.