Renewables provided over 40% of electricity in October

Electricity from renewable sources provided for just over 40% of total demand in October, according to provisional data from grid operator EirGrid.

The majority of renewable electricity¹ generated last month came from windfarms, which accounted for just under 35% of all electricity used in Ireland. Total generation from wind energy amounted to 1,003 GWh (Gigawatt hours) over the month, passing the 1,000 GWh mark for the third time ever in an October month.

Overall, renewables including wind, solar and hydropower provided 40.4% of electricity in October.

Some 52 GWh of electricity came from grid-scale solar² last month, down from the highs of the summer months but well ahead of the 32 GWh of solar registered last October. Grid-scale solar accounted for 1.8% of electricity in October. 

Overall electricity system demand³ stood at 2,899 GWh for October.

Gas generation accounted for 42.5% of all electricity used in October, with just over 12% being imported via interconnection, 3.7% coming from coal, and the remaining 1% from other sources⁴.

EirGrid is responsible for leading Ireland's transition to a low carbon future so that 80% of electricity can come from renewables by 2030, as set out in Government targets.

Currently the electricity grid can accommodate up to 75% of electricity from renewable sources at any one time. This is known as the system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP) limit. EirGrid is aiming to further increase the SNSP limit.

Diarmaid Gillespie, Director of System Operations at EirGrid, said: "We had over 1,000 Gigawatt hours of wind on the system in October, which is the first time this has passed the 1,000 GWh mark since March of this year as the windy weather returns. 

"Whereas grid-scale solar is down from the highs of the summer months, as recently as 2022 we had no solar at all on the transmission system. 

"So the fact that this form of generation is making a contribution to the electricity being used around the country demonstrates the progress that is being made in this area, and the benefits of being able to rely on a range of sources to maximise the availability of renewable generation in all seasons."

About the data 

The data is based on 15-minute SCADA readings (MW). The data referenced above is Ireland-only.

Data is provisional and unmetered data, based on real-time information.

¹ Average Fuel Mix is a representation of the System Generation fuel mix and net imports across the power system. The “Renewables” category includes wind, solar, hydro and biomass sources. It excludes some non-centrally monitored generation (e.g. small scale combined heat and power and microgeneration).

² Not including rooftop (embedded) solar.

³ System demand represents the electricity production required to meet national electricity consumption, including system losses, but net of generators' requirements.

⁴ The “Other” category includes Peat, Distillate, Combined Heat and Power (CHP), Aggregated Generating Units (AGUs) and Demand Side Units (DSUs). Waste is split 50% between the “Other” and “Renewable” categories.