Ireland has lost enough renewable electricity to power almost 500,000 homes during the first nine months of 2026, reports RTE.
New figures from EirGrid show more than 13% of the wind and solar electricity available in the country could not be used due to limitations on the electricity system.
The renewable energy industry has claimed the loss highlights the urgent need to speed up deployment of large-scale battery storage in order to capture the surplus energy, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and help cut energy bills.
Solar Ireland CEO Ronan Power said wind and solar supplied around 42% of electricity last month, while Wind Energy Ireland CEO Noel Cunniffe claimed the country has the potential to become energy-independent.
He said: “That would reduce our exposure to imported fossil fuels, cut energy bills, attract investment and support thousands of skilled jobs across the country. The next step is making better use of the renewable power we already produce.”
Ireland has however reached several significant clean energy milestones, with renewables accounting for half of electricity generation last year and solar capacity exceeding 3GW.
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