Wind farms push down prices in August and provide over a quarter of Ireland’s electricity

09 September 2025

More than a quarter of Ireland’s electricity came from wind farms last month while solar power and other renewables accounted for an additional six per cent. That is according to Wind Energy Ireland, which today published its monthly wind energy report.

The report also found that wind farms delivered big savings for consumers. On the days with the most wind power on the system, wholesale electricity prices more than halved compared to days when we were forced to rely on imported gas.

The report also confirms that wind energy has met 31 per cent of Ireland’s electricity demand over the first eight months of 2025 and that Kerry has reclaimed its place at the top of the wind energy leaderboard.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “While there was a drop in electricity generation from wind in August compared to last year’s figure, wind farms have performed well since the beginning of 2025 by providing nearly a third of the country’s power.

“Wind energy is our number one, and most affordable, source of renewable energy.

“The more wind energy that we can produce here in Ireland, the more we can secure our own supply of clean, affordable, electricity and reduce the need to import expensive fossil fuels from other countries.”

Electricity prices

The average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour during August 2025 was €96.38, down four per cent from €100.44 in the same month last year.

Prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity fall to €67.31 per megawatt hour and more than double to €156.43 on days when we relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.

Noel Cunniffe concluded: “At a time when our economy is under threat from tariffs, energy costs and global uncertainty, Irish wind farms are a ready-made solution.

“Rather than importing hundreds of millions of euros of gas, Irish wind farms ensure money stays where it belongs, at home, supporting Irish workers and businesses.

“We have the natural resources, we have the project pipelines and we have the ambition to deliver a competitive, zero-carbon society.”

Wind power generation

The latest figures show that wind power generation in August 2025 totalled 870 gigawatt-hours (GWh), with Kerry wind farms reclaiming their lead position.

Based on data published by Green Collective, Kerry produced 83 GWh and was closely followed by Cork (78 GWh), Galway (61 GWh), Mayo (48 GWh) and Derry (44 GWh). Together, the top three counties provided a quarter of Ireland's wind power last month.

The publication of WEI’s monthly wind energy report also follows the launch of its Pre-Budget 2026 submission, which calls for a new €100 million Climate Recruitment Fund, financed by annual contributions of €10 million over ten years, to boost staffing across key State agencies.

Noel Cunniffe concluded: “To deliver more clean power, we need to build more wind farms and that means ensuring our planning authorities and key agencies like the energy regulator – the CRU – have the resources they need.

“Budget 2026 is an opportunity to increase capacity within State agencies and invest in the foundations of an energy independent Ireland. That’s why we are calling for the creation of a new Climate Recruitment Fund to boost staffing across key agencies and accelerate the transition.”

The results of this report are based on EirGrid’s SCADA data compiled by MullanGrid, market data provided by ElectroRoute and solar, other renewables and county-level wind generation data provided by Green Collective.