Wind has achieved its highest share of demand in Ireland by providing over half of the country's electricity in February.

The February Wind Energy report from Wind Energy Ireland showed that wind energy provided 53% of the nation's electricity last month. It was the number one source of electricity throughout the month and on 05 February set a new All-Ireland record for the amount of wind energy on the system at 4,584 MW.

The report also highlights the importance of wind energy in cutting the price of wholesale electricity, with results showing that during the windiest periods of the month, wholesale prices were almost €100 cheaper per MWh than during less windy days, at €134.25 per MWh, versus €229.62.

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Welcoming the results, Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: "These results show the ever-increasing importance of wind energy and renewables for the Irish energy sector. It is vital that we bring through new wind farms as quickly as possible in the coming months and years to ensure we can consistently achieve figures like this if we are to meet the targets set in the Climate Action Plan.

"The fact that wholesale prices fall when wind energy production is high shows that wind energy will play an increasingly important role in the coming months, mitigating the worst effects of the predicted price increases for consumers due to spiralling fossil fuel import prices."

The report also highlighted the dramatic increase in energy prices between February 2021 and 2022, with wholesale electricity prices rising almost three-fold.

The results of this report are based on EirGrid's SCADA data compiled by MullanGrid and on market data provided by ElectroRoute. This is the first in what will be a continuing series of monthly reports from Wind Energy Ireland. This series will play an important role in progressing the development of wind energy as an energy source in Ireland.