Record-Breaking Year for Wind Energy in Ireland

More than 400 delegates at the Irish Wind Energy Association's (IWEA) Spring Conference were witnesses as the new Annual Report for 2018 was presented. And it has been a particularly good year for wind energy in Ireland.

In 2018 wind energy met a record of 29 % of the Irish electricity demand which is the second highest in Europe and the highest in onshore wind. 19 new windfarms were built in 2018 while the record for the most wind on the all-Ireland system at any one time was broken three times. In January 2018, for the first time, wind energy provided more electricity than gas over a full month.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. David Connolly, CEO of IWEA, said: “Wind energy is an Irish success story, driving down electricity costs for consumers, cutting millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions and securing a homegrown energy future that doesn’t depend on importing fossil fuels. A strong policy framework, support from EirGrid and ESB Networks, and the efforts of our members have delivered for Ireland. Projects developed over the last 20 years have not just been good for the environment, they have been good for consumers and have driven down the wholesale price of electricity.

“Now, new decisions are being made that will shape our industry for the next decade. The technology and the resources are there to deliver Ireland’s green energy future with wind energy playing the key role as our country’s main source of renewable electricity. We know that wind, alongside other renewable technologies like solar, batteries and greater interconnection, can provide 70 per cent of our electricity by 2030. We would urge Minister Bruton to make Ireland a leader in the fight against climate change by setting this target in the its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).”