Spending on gas for electricity in Ireland was cut by almost €1 billion last year with wind energy supplying 32 per cent of Ireland’s electricity, a new report has shown.
These figures come from the latest annual Cutting Carbon, Cutting Bills report from Baringa, which analyses the annual savings in gas consumption delivered by wind energy.
Irish wind farms saved €748 million on gas, which would have been predominantly imported.
Electricity savings were highest in March, the strongest month for wind energy generation last year with €120 million saved.
December was the month with the highest gas prices, with €170 million saved respectively.
The displaced gas also meant a saving of 5 million tonnes of CO2 across the island, equivalent to the annual emissions of 1.8 million cars.
Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Once again this report highlights the critical role Irish wind farms are playing in driving down Irish energy costs, cutting our carbon emissions and reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels.
“Rather than importing hundreds of millions of euro of gas, Irish wind farms ensured money stayed where it belongs, at home, supporting Irish workers and businesses.
"However, further savings were prevented due to insufficient grid capacity which meant Ireland was unable to take full advantage of its windiest months."
