A new record for the month of July has been set for the amount of electricity generated from wind energy, according to a new report.
Wind Energy Ireland, which today (Tuesday, August 8) published its monthly wind energy report, said that the amount of electricity generated by wind in July 2023 was up by 51% when compared with the same month last year.
The weather in recent weeks meant that wind energy met 32% of the total energy demand last month, up by 11% in comparison to July 2022.
Irish wind farms have provided a third of the island’s electricity over the first seven months of 2023.
The average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour (MWh) during July 2023 was €96.24, down from €117.11 the previous month.
The wholesale prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity decrease by 12% to €93.30/MWh when compared with the previous month.
The wholesale electricity prices rose to €111.71/MWh on days when the country relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.
“Every time a wind turbine is generating electricity it is reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, helping to push down wholesale electricity prices,” Justin Moran, director of external affairs at Wind Energy Ireland, said.
“We know that consumers and businesses are struggling every day with high energy bills and they need their electricity to be affordable as well as clean.
“The fall in the average price of wholesale electricity in comparison to June 2023 is welcome news.
“If wholesale electricity prices continue to drop, we hope that we will soon see an impact on consumers’ bills,” Moran added.