New record for wind energy on all-island grid

EirGrid, the Transmission System Operator (TSO) for Ireland, has said that a new record for wind energy generation used on the all-island electricity grid was set this week.  

The all-island grid includes Ireland and Northern Ireland. The data shows that 4653 MW of wind energy was supplied to the all-island grid at 3.56pm on Wednesday afternoon. This beats the previous record of 4610 MW.

An Ireland-only record of 3866 MW was also set at 3.42pm on Wednesday. The previous record of 3,644MW was set at 7.24pm on 12 January 2023.

Last month, renewable sources (wind, solar and hydro) generated approximately 43% of grid electricity in Ireland.  

Driven by cross-industry engagement and support, EirGrid and SONI, the two TSOs operating the all-island grid, have made progress in the past year to enable more renewables onto the grid.

Now, up to 75% of Ireland's electricity generation can come from variable renewables, such as wind and solar, at any one time. The ambition is to increase this to 95% by 2030.  

Diarmaid Gillespie, Director of Operations at EirGrid, said: “This is a significant milestone for wind energy generation in Ireland and illustrates one of the great renewable resources we have at home.

“Our Shaping Our Electricity Future Roadmap sets out the changes required to integrate greater amounts of renewable energy onto the grid, so that up to 80% of electricity can come from renewables by 2030.

“To achieve this target, more renewable generators need to be connected to the power system, which requires the grid to be stronger and more flexible. This will require reinforcements, upgrades and new infrastructure across the country.”