Bodies representing the renewable energy sector here have described as "extremely disappointing" the results of the latest auction of renewable power.
Wind Energy Ireland said the outcome highlights the need for urgent reform of how Ireland develops wind and solar farms.
The provisional results for the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) 3 auction results for onshore wind and solar energy were published this evening on the Eirgrid website.
The average price for all projects is €100.47 per megawatt hour compared to €97.87 for the previous auction.
Contracts were awarded to only three wind farms for a total capacity of 148 MW and to just under 500 MW of solar, far less than any previous RESS auction, Wind Energy Ireland said.
"The wind and solar projects which were successful in today's auction deserve to be congratulated and will help to decarbonise our energy system," said Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland
"But we cannot ignore the reality that this is the third auction for onshore wind and solar and when we should be seeing prices going down, and the volume of renewable energy winning contracts rising, we are seeing the exact opposite."
"At a time when we should be accelerating the delivery of renewable energy, we are slowing down."
Wind Energy Ireland said the critical issue remains the failure of the Irish planning system to meet its timelines for processing applications for renewable energy projects.
"This week marks one year since the last onshore wind farm received planning permission from An Bord Pleanála," said Mr Cunniffe.
"Dozens of wind energy projects are in planning limbo. They are supposed to get their decisions in 18 weeks but the average decision time for a wind project is well over 90 weeks."
"We are living in an energy and climate crisis but we do not have a planning system that has been given the resources, the expertise and the personnel to deliver."
Also disappointed with the auction result was the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) which called for lessons to be learned.
It said the auction was overly rigid and that avoidable systemic failures limited its potential for success.
"There is close to universal support for the vision behind these annual auctions," said Conall Bolger, CEO of ISEA.
"However, what started out with a clear goal to boost the level of renewables in Ireland has become bogged down in overly complex terms, conditions, rules and red tape."
"The sum total of this has been that RESS 3 delivered fewer projects and less green energy than should have been the case and done so at a higher cost to consumers."
He added that failure to rectify these problems will make it even less likely that Ireland will reach its target of 80% renewable electricity by 2030.
