A report compiled by Wind Energy Ireland (WEI) shows that wind energy provided 30% of Ireland’s power last month. Comparatively this is a 6% increase from June 2021, making the recent June winds the strongest on record.
Chief executive of Wind Energy Ireland, Noel Cunniffe, comments that “New wind farms, along with solar and battery projects, will be connecting before the end of 2022, but we really need to accelerate the delivery of onshore renewables if we are to have any hope of staying within the expected carbon budget for the electricity sector.”
Planning delays have impacted time for decisions to be made on new wind farms. Cunniffe has put out a call for system reform to get renewable energy projects up and running as quickly as possible. “The Government must instruct An Bord Pleanála to prioritise planning applications for renewable energy and related electricity grid infrastructure so that they can be properly assessed, decisions made and we can get them connected,” he added.
Since the start of 2022, wind energy has provided 36% of Ireland’s electricity. The average price of electricity on the wholesale market was €181.84, but that varied between €90.78 on days when the wind was strongest, and more than €230 on days that had little to no wind.
WEI is committed to promoting the use of wind energy in Ireland and beyond as an economically viable and environmentally sound alternative to thermal or nuclear generation.
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