2 July 2024
Renewables provided a third of electricity in June
Electricity from renewable sources provided for a third of total demand in June, according to provisional data from grid operator EirGrid.
The amount of electricity generated from grid-scale solar1 reached a new high of 110 GWh (gigawatt hours) across the month, meeting 4.4% of electricity demand, with wind energy also performing strongly.
Just over a quarter of all electricity used in June2 came from windfarms, with total generation of 635 GWh for the month marking the third-highest ever figure recorded for June.
The remainder of the 33.5% of electricity produced from renewables came from a range of sources including hydropower and biomass.
Overall electricity system demand3 stood at 2,482 GWh for June.
Gas generation accounted for 42% of all electricity used in June, with 20% being imported via interconnection, 3% 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.
Earlier this year, EirGrid confirmed it had reduced the minimum number of large conventional fossil-fuelled generators that must operate on Ireland’s electricity grid at any one time from five to four.
This will allow for a reduction in carbon emissions and create more opportunity for renewable generators to meet power requirements.
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.
Charlie McGee, System Operational Manager at EirGrid, said: “Solar generation is naturally always strongest during the summer but this June saw a particularly high output, with solar playing an increasingly important part in our efforts to get more renewable electricity onto the system.
"June was also another strong month for wind energy, and this is now the third time that wind generation has passed the 600 GWh mark in the month of June even as wind speeds drop during the summer months. This is because more generation capacity is coming onto the system."
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 Not including rooftop (embedded) solar.
2 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).
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.