Installed wind capacity in Ireland has exceeded 5 gigawatts (GW), with wind farms supplying almost a third of the country's electricity in 2024, according to Wind Energy Ireland. The 13,258 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity generated by Irish wind farms last year was more than one and a half times the total annual consumption of all residential customers.
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, highlighted the significance of the milestone, saying, “Our members can be proud of the role Irish wind farms played last year in supporting electricity consumers and reducing our carbon emissions.” He added that Ireland now has over 5,000 MW of onshore wind capacity, more than halfway toward the Climate Action Plan target of 9,000 MW by 2030.
“The more wind we can get on the electricity grid, the less we rely on imported gas and the more we can cut our carbon emissions and keep your money at home,” Cunniffe said.
However, despite wind providing nearly a third of the nation's electricity, the share of electricity generated by wind fell by 3% compared to 2023. This decrease is largely attributed to wind farms being taken offline due to limitations in the electricity grid's capacity. Cunniffe noted, “Last year was the worst on record for the amount of wind power lost,” emphasizing the economic and environmental consequences. “Every time a wind turbine is shut down because the grid can't take the electricity, it means higher bills and more carbon emissions.
Cunniffe stressed the importance of upgrading the electricity grid to accommodate increasing volumes of renewable energy. He also underscored the need for expanded energy storage infrastructure to store surplus renewable energy for later use.
“The funding announced in Budget 2025 will help to reinforce the existing grid infrastructure, and a commitment to continue proactively supporting EirGrid and ESB Networks to build a much stronger grid should be a key focus for the incoming Government,Cunniffe added.
The figures come after a particularly strong performance in December, when wind energy provided 41% of Ireland's electricity, marking the second-best December on record. Wind farms in Cork led the country in production, followed by counties Kerry, Galway, and Offaly, the latter of which saw its first inclusion in the top four due to the opening of new wind farms.
