During a trip to Tokyo, Irish Energy Minister, Eamon Ryan has celebrated Global Wind Day and welcomed it as an opportunity to promote the major progress that Ireland has made in wind energy in the past three years.

In 2007, Minister Ryan increased Ireland’s 2020 target for renewable energy in electricity to 40%. Ireland has surpassed its 2010 15% target and is well on track to meet 40%.

The majority of Ireland’s renewable energy is derived from wind. The latest figures show 1415 MW from 124 wind installations around the country, comprising more than four-fifths of our total renewable generation.

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The total growth from 1990 is nearing 450% and on some of our windiest days, we have already reached our 40% target – on 5 April this year, 1,120 MW of electricity was produced from wind power, enough to power 672,000 houses around the country.

Japan too is rapidly developing wind energy, with 346 MW of new wind capacity added in 2008. It also has a growing industry in wind turbine manufacturing.

During the trip, Minister Ryan met with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a company which is developing wind turbines and which has provided turbines for the Huntstown plant in North Co Dublin.

"Ireland and Japan can learn lessons from each other, in both the technology and the policy," said Minister Ryan.

"Japan has the lead in turbine manufacturing, but we have the renewable resources and deployment experience. Ireland has some of the best wind resources in Western Europe - abundant and freely available, forever and a day.

"This is the single best option for Ireland’s sustainable energy future, and we would be foolish to squander the opportunity we have been given," he added.

(NS/BMcC)