New provisional figures released by EirGrid, the developer and operator of the national electricity grid, indicate that renewable energy sources provided 44% of Ireland's total electricity throughout December.

Wind energy remained the primary driver of green power, contributing 39% of the country's total usage. This represented a notable increase in output, with wind generation rising from 1,067 GWh in November to 1,243 GWh in December. Gas generation was responsible for 38% of the month's electricity, while 17% was sourced via interconnection imports.

The data highlighted a distinct change in consumer behaviour over the festive period. While winter electricity demand typically peaks between 5pm and 6pm, Christmas Day saw a significant shift as the peak moved to approximately 2.15pm, driven by the use of ovens and appliances for meal preparation. Despite lower overall demand due to the closure of businesses and schools, renewables accounted for 55% of the electricity generated on 25 December.

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Conversely, New Year's Eve followed more traditional winter patterns, with demand peaking at 5.15pm despite the late-night celebrations.

December marked a second consecutive record-breaking month for the transmission system's battery storage capabilities. On Monday, 15 December, battery discharge peaked at 396 MW, surpassing the previous record of 362 MW set on 25 November.

The total system demand for December reached 3,234 GWh, an increase from the 3,088 GWh recorded in November. Official metered data for November also confirmed that renewable generation stood at 41% for that month.

Diarmaid Gillespie, Director of System Operations at EirGrid, stated: "Similar to what we have seen in recent months, December was another strong month for renewable energy with us again seeing a significant amount of wind generation contributing to the overall fuel mix for the month."