Ireland's wind farms provided 34% of the country's electricity in the first half of 2024, new figures from Wind Energy Ireland show.
The new figures show that wind power generation in June was the third highest on record for a June month, totalling 771 gigawatt-hours (GWh).
Wind energy met 25% of Ireland's electricity demand last month, an increase of 5% from the same time last year, while solar power and other renewables provided an additional 8% of the country's electricity.
Today's Wind Energy Ireland report shows that the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour (MWh) during June 2024 was €107.74.
Prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a MWh of electricity decrease to €86.78, rising to €125.98 on days when the grid relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.
Wind Energy Ireland said that Kerry regained its top spot as the country's leading source of wind energy last month, accounting for 12% of wind power at 90 GWh. It was closely followed by Cork (82 GWh), Galway (67 GWh), Donegal (52 GWh) and Tipperary (47 GWh).
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said that the first half of the year has been strong for Irish wind farms which have supplied just over a third of our electricity so far this year.
"That is clean electricity produced in Ireland to power our homes and businesses while cutting our carbon emissions," he stated.
He said it is also really positive to see the strong performance of solar energy and other renewables last month as part of the country's renewable energy mix.
"Every time a wind turbine or solar panel is generating electricity it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices and increasing our supply of clean energy to local communities," he stated.
