Over a third of electricity produced by wind power last month
A report today shows that more than one third of electricity used in Ireland last month was generated by wind power.
The latest figures, published by Wind Energy Ireland, show that the amount of electricity produced by wind farms was one of the highest ever recorded for the month of January.
Last year was was a record-breaking year for wind power generation.
The latest figures so far this year show that wind farms here continue to build on that success.
36% of Ireland’s power was provided by wind last month.
The latest Wind Energy report shows that the demand for electricity increased slightly when compared to the same month last year.
Wind Energy Ireland’s chief executive Noel Cunniffe highlighted the importance of producing more domestic clean electricity and the benefits to both the environment and people’s pockets.
He said securing the supply of this affordable and reliable wind energy means protecting consumers from high energy prices that are driven by fossil fuels.
“New wind farms, along with solar and battery projects, will be connecting before the end of 2024 which will further reduce Ireland’s emissions, but we really need to accelerate the delivery of onshore and offshore renewable projects if we are to achieve a zero-carbon society for Ireland,” he stated.
Today’s report also found that the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour in January was €99.90, down from €162.16 the previous year.
Prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity fall even further to €68.08 per megawatt hour, rising to €130.30 on days when the country relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.
“The fall in the average price of wholesale electricity in comparison to January 2023 is welcome news. Electricity generated from Irish wind farms replaces expensive imported fossil fuels and by adding more wind power to the system, we can cut our carbon emissions and cut our electricity bills,” Mr Cunniffe noted.
Article Source – Over a third of electricity produced by wind power last month – RTE
