Strongest April ever for wind power in Ireland

The wholesale electricity price last month was 155% higher than the same month last year as a result of rising energy costs on international markets and Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels.

However, at €218.26 per megawatt hour, the price was lower than March’s record high of €293.25.

Wind Energy Ireland said the price in April could have been higher had it not been for the higher contribution from wind.

Last month was the strongest April on record here for wind generation, with around 32% of our electricity generated by wind.

That represents a 7% increase in the same month in 2021.

It follows a strong first quarter of the year for renewables, during which wind power contributed 39% of Ireland’s generating capacity.

However, the fluctuating nature of wind speeds means that the level of production is not constant.

Last year, lower wind speeds and less rainfall caused the percentage of electricity generated by renewables to drop from 42% in 2020 to 35%.

Wind power fell 15.8% while hydroelectric generation fell 19.6% according to the Irish Sustainable Energy Authority.

“Each new wind and solar farm that connects to the electricity grid helps make Ireland more energy independent,” said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland.

“We need to speed up the development of clean, cheap, renewable energy to drive fossil fuels out of the electricity market,” he said.

Ireland is currently in a drive to increase its levels of renewable generation capacity, particularly through the provision of more offshore wind turbines.

A large number of projects are planned to be developed over the next decade, especially along the East Coast.

However, the speed of delivery has been the subject of much attention since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which has significantly raised the cost of energy internationally.

“Our planning system must be reformed and adequately resourced to ensure that the renewable energy projects needed by the Climate Action Plan can be properly, but quickly, examined and we can move forward with building those projects,” Noel said. Cunniff.