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Christmas Cracker as Ireland’s Wind Energy Fuels Festive Record

23 December, 2014

Both Ireland and All-Island wind power records soar to new heights

Photo taken by Francis McKenna for Global Wind Day Competition 2013

There’s been an early Christmas cracker to boost Ireland’s clean energy credentials, as wind energy output hit a new record peak of 1,826MW at 20.30pm on Sunday 21st December 2014, which is enough to power almost 1.2 million Irish homes according to figures published by EirGrid, who monitor electricity generation and usage nationally.

The new Irish record came on Sunday evening as Irish families prepared for Christmas, and the wind energy peak saw wind alone meeting over half of Ireland’s energy demand.

15 minutes earlier at 20.15pm on Sunday evening a new All-Island Wind Energy record was reached of 2355.6MW, enough to power over 1.5 million homes.

Commenting on the new Irish and All Island wind energy records, IWEA Chief Executive, Kenneth Matthews said:

“Christmas is traditionally an energy intensive time of year, between cooking, heating, TV watching, video games playing and Christmas tree lighting, but this new record shows how renewable wind energy is helping to power Ireland’s Christmas preparations.

“Last year, we spent €6.7bn on expensive foreign energy imports, we need to make sure that as much of this lost money stays in Ireland in the New Year. These records show that clean wind energy is delivering for Ireland, reducing our dependency on expensive foreign energy imports, promoting local investment and jobs, and helping to protect our environment for future generations.”

 
There are currently 188 wind farms operating in Ireland with the industry employing over 3,400 people nationwide.
Ends

Editor’s Note:

•         New Irish Peak Wind Record of 1826MW reached at 20.30 on Sunday 21 December.
•         The new All-Island Wind Record of 2355.6MW was reached at 20.15 on Sunday 21 December.

All information sourced from the EirGrid Datacentre at: www.eirgrid.com/operations/

And for Northern Ireland from the System Operator of Northern Ireland (SONI) Datacentre at: http://www.soni.ltd.uk/InformationCentre/

For more information:
Robert Brown
ReputationInc
Tel: 01 4120514
 

About IWEA
Established in 1993, the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) is the national body representing the wind energy sector in Ireland. IWEA is committed to promoting the use of wind energy in Ireland and beyond as an economically viable and environmentally sound alternative to conventional generation and promotes awareness and understanding of wind power as the primary renewable energy resource. IWEA is also dedicated to education and awareness building, and to building the skills base of the renewable energy sector in Ireland. IWEA also supports the development of other renewable technology, particularly marine energy. IWEA has more than 200 members who incorporate all leading industry voices in Ireland. IWEA acts as a central point for information for its membership as well as a voice to promote wind energy to government. IWEA is entirely self-funded and relies on the support of its members.

For more information, please visit http://www.iwea.com

 

 

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