Liam McLoughlin (6) at an event for Global Wind Day in June. Image via IWEA
The windiest June on record helped contribute to another record that month in terms of energy demand met for Ireland, with wind energy providing 20pc of the country’s entire electricity needs.
According to the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA), peak wind energy production was recorded on 1 June when Irish wind energy output hit 1805MW, equalling enough energy to power more than 1.1m homes, according to figures published by EirGrid.
With these figures, this will bring Ireland’s overall production capacity since the beginning of 2015 to 25pc of Irish energy demand.
With this in mind, the half-year figures have coincided with the release of Moody’s Investor Services Report, which found that increased Irish wind energy will contribute to a fall in the wholesale power prices over the next three years.
According to the IWEA, there are now 191 wind farms operating across Ireland, which employ more than 3,400 people in various roles to do with the generation of wind energy.
Commenting on the new wind energy record, Kenneth Matthews, CEO of the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA), said: “Although it wasn’t the best June in terms of summer weather, it was a very positive month for our environment, with wind energy decreasing our consumption of imported fossil fuels, further reducing our C02 emissions.”
