JULY WAS A record month for wind energy usage in Ireland.

A new report from Wind Energy Ireland, based on data from EirGrid and ElectroRoute, shows that the amount of electricity generated by wind in July 2023 was up by 51 per cent when compared with July 2022.

Irish wind farms provided a third of the island’s electricity over the first seven months of 2023.

The average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour during July 2023 was €96.24, but on days where wind power was widely used, the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity decreased. It increased on days where fossil fuels were predominately used

Justin Moran, the director of external affairs at Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Irish wind farms are helping to protect Irish families and businesses from the worst effects of relying on expensive imported gas.

“The faster we can build and connect new onshore wind farms onto the electricity system, the more secure we make Ireland’s energy supply, the more money we put back in people’s pockets and the more we cut our carbon emissions.

“Momentum is also growing behind Ireland’s offshore wind energy revolution and there is a strong pipeline of offshore wind projects developing in Ireland.”

“Every time a wind turbine is generating electricity it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices.

Two thirds of Ireland’s electricity demand was met by wind energy on 29 July.