Business

Wind farms set new record in March amid blustery conditions

Kerry wind farms accounted for highest share of electricity generation, says Wind Energy Ireland

At a county level, wind farms in Kerry produced the most power in March at 187 GWh. Photograph: iStock

Ian Curran
Mon Apr 8 2024 - 09:53

Wind farms in the Republic generated a record volume of electricity for March amid blustery conditions and what Met Éireann has provisionally called the wettest March on record.

Wind energy also provided 43 per cent of Ireland’s electricity, according to new figures from Wind Energy Ireland (WEI), while the average wholesale price of electricity continued to fall, declining 40 per cent to €88.67 per gigawatt-hour (GWh) from March 2022.

The representative body for the wind industry’s figures reveal that Irish wind farms generated 1,541 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power in March 2024, surpassing the previous March record of 1,392 GWh set in March 2020.

At a county level, wind farms in Kerry produced the most power in March at 187 GWh, followed by Cork with 163 GWh and Tipperary with 106 GWh. Taken together, the three Munster counties generated enough electricity to meet close to a third of the economy’s total demand, WEI said.

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Provisional Met Éireann data released last week indicated that last month may have been the wettest March on record with high pressure over Scandinavia bringing a period of easterly winds with gales reported on ten days in the month.

Justin Moran, director of external affairs at WEI, said: “Our members provided 43 per cent of Ireland’s electricity in March and the amount of wind power generated was up significantly when compared to the same month last year. Irish wind farms produce power without burning imported fossil fuels, which means we can cut our carbon emissions at the same time as we cut our fuel imports.”

Mr Moran said: “Irish wind farms, and particularly those in Kerry, are playing an enormous part in reducing Ireland’s carbon emissions by over 4 million tonnes a year and creating significant opportunities in job creation and funding for rural communities.”

The monthly record for wind generation was set in February 2022 when wind farms produced 1,868 GWh of electricity when storms Eunice and Franklin brought high winds to the west and southwest of the country.

Ian Curran

Ian Curran

Ian Curran is a Business reporter with The Irish Times

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