Wind farms provided 34% of Ireland’s electricity requirements in 2022 which met the equivalent needs of nearly three million families, according to a new report published today (Monday, January 16).

Latest analysis by energy specialists Baringa claims that Irish consumers “avoided paying €2 billion for gas last year” because of the contribution from wind farms.

The Baringa report suggests that “without wind energy, Ireland would have had to spend an additional €1.65 billion on gas for power generation in 2022” which in turn would have also added an extra €340 million on carbon credits to produce electricity by burning gas.

The latest report also examined the role of wind energy in Northern Ireland and estimated that it contributed to energy savings costs in the region of £500 million.

According to Baringa, savings can be particularly significant on days with extremely high gas prices and large volumes of wind energy on the electricity system.

In Ireland it singled out the example of one day, on March 8, in 2022, when the combination of high winds and high gas prices “delivered a total avoided cost of €43 million in just 24 hours”.

Role of wind farms

Noel Cunniffe, chief executive of Wind Energy Ireland – the representative body for the Irish wind industry – said wind farms play a key role in “the middle of an energy crisis driven by our dependence on imported fossil fuels”.

“The best way out of this energy crisis is to accelerate the development of renewable energy, to ensure more of our power is provided here, at home, creating Irish jobs and supporting local communities.

“The government’s plan to reform the planning system by putting in place mandatory timelines for decisions needs to be fully supported and we need total political backing, right across the Oireachtas, for EirGrid’s strategy to reinforce the country’s electricity grid,” he said.

Cunniffe said that the development of further wind farms cannot proceed “without a planning system that is fit for purpose”.

He also warned that wind farm operators “cannot get the power to where it is needed without a much stronger electricity grid” and has urged the government to address both these issues in 2023.

According to Wind Energy Ireland, windfarms delivered a total of 13,213 gigawatt-hours (GWh) last year.

Latest figures from the representative body for the Irish wind industry outline that wind energy generation rose from 11,566 GWh in 2021, slightly behind the record result in 2020 of 13,696 GWh.