22 April 2025
The March Wind Energy report shows that Irish wind farms provided 38 per cent of the country’s electricity over the first quarter of 2025.
The latest figures, published by Wind Energy Ireland, show that the demand for electricity during March 2025 increased slightly to 3,673 gigawatt-hours (GWh), up from 3,598 GWh in the same month last year.
The share of electricity demand met by wind farms last month, at 33 per cent, was slightly below the normal average for wind energy in March but the shortfall was partially compensated by a record month for solar power.
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Our members provided a third of Ireland’s electricity in March. Every time a wind turbine is generating electricity, it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices and increasing our supply of clean energy to power our homes, businesses and local communities."
“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 and our prices.”
Price of electricity
In some good news for consumers, the report shows that the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland fell for the second consecutive month to €131.80 per megawatt-hour in March.
Prices last month on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity fall to €112.26 but nearly double to €165.19 on days when we relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.
Noel Cunniffe added: “The Government’s Climate Action Plan 2025, published last week, highlights the importance of reinforcing our electricity grid and increasing the amount of our electricity generated by renewable sources such as wind and solar.
“Irish people want the clean energy that wind and solar farms provide and by strengthening our electricity grid, we can build an Ireland that is energy independent, delivering more affordable energy and one that meets the needs of our growing economy and keeps Ireland competitive.”
Kerry leads in March
Based on data published by Green Collective, Kerry wind farms led the way last month, producing more wind energy than any other county (135 GWh). They were followed by Cork (125 GWh), then Galway (89 GWh), Mayo (87 GWh) and Offaly (81 GWh). Together, the top three counties produced over a quarter of Ireland’s wind power in March.
Noel Cunniffe concluded: “Irish wind farms, and particularly those in Kerry, are playing an enormous part in reducing Ireland’s carbon emissions and creating funding for rural communities to invest in the priorities they choose for their area like sports grounds and community spaces.
“As new wind farms connect to the grid the amount of money invested by our members in local communities will only grow. By developing our renewable energy sector, we can build an Ireland that is energy independent, delivering warm homes and cleaner air.”
The results of this report are based on EirGrid’s SCADA data compiled by MullanGrid, market data provided by ElectroRoute and county-level wind generation data provided by Green Collective.
