43% of Ireland's electricity was generated by renewable energy in September

The figure represents a significant increase on August, when renewables accounted for 29% of electricity used.

Wind was the dominant renewable source during the month, generating 1,015GWh and accounting for 36% of overall electricity consumption.

Grid-scale solar contributed approximately 5% of electricity generated, although its share fell following a record-breaking summer for solar generation.

Gas remained a major source of electricity, accounting for 37% of total usage, while a further 19% was supplied through electricity interconnection.

Overall electricity system demand increased to 2,857GWh in September, up from 2,796GWh in August.

EirGrid is responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand across the country, while also planning for Ireland’s longer-term electricity requirements.

The electricity grid can currently accommodate renewable sources providing up to 75% of electricity at any one time, known as the system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP) limit.

Diarmaid Gillespie, EirGrid’s Director of System Operations, said the change in the fuel mix was expected at this time of year.

“As we would expect as this time of year, we saw a notable change to the fuel mix last month,” he said.

“There was a significant increase on the previous months in the amount of wind generated energy, with it contributing 36% to the overall fuel mix.”

Gillespie added that solar generation was expected to continue supporting the power system during daylight hours through the winter.

* This article was originally published on BusinessPlus.ie.