Wind generation in Ireland was the highest on record for the month of August, according to Wind Energy Ireland’s (WEI) monthly wind energy report.
The latest figures show that wind power generation in August 2024 totalled 1068GWh, an increase of 3% when compared to the previous record set during the same month last year (1042GWh).
Strong winds in recent weeks also meant that, at 34%, Irish wind farms met just over one-third of Ireland’s electricity demand in August 2024, surpassing the previous record of 33 per cent in August 2023, WEI said.
Solar power and other renewables accounted for 6% of Ireland’s electricity during August 2024, meaning 40% of Ireland’s electricity came from renewable sources.
The report shows Kerry wind farms produced more electricity than any other county last month at 129GWh.
It was closely followed by Cork (100GWh), Galway (91GWh), Mayo (84GWh) and Donegal (70GWh).
Together, the top three counties provided over a quarter Ireland’s wind power last month.
The report confirms wind farms provided 32% of the country’s electricity in the first eight months of 2024, WEI said.
Wind Energy Ireland chief executive Noel Cunniffe said: “It is fantastic to see the positive contribution that renewable energy made in August, with wind and solar energy providing 40% of Ireland’s electricity.
“While it is something to be proud of, we must acknowledge the SEAI’s most recent Energy Balance report, which highlights that Ireland is making progress on emissions reduction but we are still falling short on our renewable energy targets.
“Only two turbines in the entire country with a capacity of 7MW have been granted planning permission in the last six months.
“To put this in context, we need to get planning permission for, and build, an additional 3800MW if we want to achieve our 9000MW onshore wind target by 2030.
“These projects need planning approval by the end of 2026 to have a chance of hitting this goal and we are running out of time.
“To meet our Climate Action Plan targets, we really need to accelerate the delivery of new wind farms and to do this we need the government to continue to invest in our planning system to ensure applications are thoroughly, but quickly, examined.”
The average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour during August 2024 was €100.04, down slightly from €106.46 in August 2023, according to the figures.
Prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity decrease by nearly 10% to €90.67 per MWh and rise to €125.96 on days when we relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.
Cunliffe added: “Affordability is really important as well as reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.
“Every time a wind turbine or solar panel is generating electricity, it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices and increasing our supply of clean energy to power our homes and local communities.”
The results are based on EirGrid’s SCADA data compiled by MullanGrid, market data provided by ElectroRoute and SEMO daily metered generated data compiled by Green Collective.