Energy from Irish wind farms provided over half of country's electricity in February

Energy generated by wind power provided more than half of Ireland’s electricity last month, figures show.

Wind Energy Ireland, the representative body for the Irish wind industry, said the 53% share was the highest ever achieved by wind in the country.

The figures were contained in the organisation’s wind energy report for February, a month that saw Ireland battered by a series of storms.

Wind Energy Ireland highlighted that wholesale electricity prices dropped significantly on the windiest days of the month compared to less windy days. 

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “These results show the ever-increasing importance of wind energy and renewables for the Irish energy sector.

“It is vital that we bring through new wind farms as quickly as possible in the coming months and years to ensure we can consistently achieve figures like this if we are to meet the targets set in the Climate Action Plan.

“The fact that wholesale prices fall when wind energy production is high shows that wind energy will play an increasingly important role in the coming months, mitigating the worst effects of the predicted price increases for consumers due to spiralling fossil fuel import prices.”

The report also highlighted the significant increase in energy prices in the last year, with wholesale electricity prices rising almost three-fold on February last year.