Ireland had the second best April on record for wind power generation last month.

Wind farms powered 32% of Ireland's electricity last month while the average wholesale electricity price was down 30%.

Kerry produced the largest amount of wind energy followed by Cork, Tipperary, Galway and Donegal.

Wind Energy Ireland CEO Noel Cunniffe says we need to build more new offshore and onshore wind farms. 

“Hopefully, this is a sign of trends that will continue out over the course of the rest of the year,” he said. 

“We’re continuing to build more onshore wind energy; it’s having a very positive impact in the price reductions that we’re seeing currently in the market and that will continue over the coming months. 

“If we want to continue to cut our carbon emissions [and] accelerate our transition to green energy, we’re going to need to continue building more onshore and offshore wind farms.” 

An offshore windfarm in the North Sea. Image: Islandstock / Alamy Stock Photo

To boost further the amount of renewable energy produced in Ireland, Mr Cunniffe called for planning reform to speed up decisions on applications for energy developments. 

“They need to be assessed thoroughly and quickly, so that we can get that energy connected onto the grid,” he said. 

“The second thing that we can do is we can strengthen our electricity grid; there’s often times when the grid is not strong enough to take the amount of renewable energy that we have in Ireland.” 

The Government aims to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

Main image: Wind turbines and sea waves by the coast of Wexford. Picture by: Bernard Golden / Alamy