Ireland passed 5,000 MW of installed onshore wind capacity for the first time in 2024, over halfway to the Climate Action Plan target of 9,000 MW by 2030.

This is according to Wind Energy Ireland’s annual report, which wind farms provided almost a third of the island of Ireland’s electricity in 2024.

The amount of electricity generated by wind farms last year (13,258 GWh) was more than one and a half times the total consumption of all residential customers.

Lost energy

However, the share of electricity provided by wind was down by 3% when compared to 2023. This is largely due to wind farms being shut down because the electricity grid is not strong enough.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said “Last year was the worst on record for the amount of wind power lost. Every time a wind turbine is shut down because the grid can’t take the electricity it means higher bills and more carbon emissions”.