A report today shows that more than one third of electricity used in Ireland last month was generated by wind power.
The latest figures, published by Wind Energy Ireland, show that the amount of electricity produced by wind farms was one of the highest ever recorded for the month of January.
Last year was a record-breaking year for wind power generation.
The latest figures so far this year show that wind farms in Ireland continue to build on that success.
36% of Ireland's power was provided by wind last month.
The latest Wind Energy report shows that the demand for electricity increased slightly when compared to the same month last year.
Wind Energy Ireland's chief executive Noel Cunniffe highlighted the importance of producing more domestic clean electricity and the benefits to both the environment and people's pockets.
He said securing the supply of this affordable and reliable wind energy means protecting consumers from high energy prices that are driven by fossil fuels.
"New wind farms, along with solar and battery projects, will be connecting before the end of 2024 which will further reduce Ireland’s emissions, but we really need to accelerate the delivery of onshore and offshore renewable projects if we are to achieve a zero-carbon society for Ireland," he stated.
Today's report also found that the average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour in January was €99.90, down from €162.16 the previous year.
Prices on days with the most wind power saw the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity fall even further to €68.08 per megawatt hour, rising to €130.30 on days when the country relied almost entirely on fossil fuels.
"The fall in the average price of wholesale electricity in comparison to January 2023 is welcome news. Electricity generated from Irish wind farms replaces expensive imported fossil fuels and by adding more wind power to the system, we can cut our carbon emissions and cut our electricity bills," Mr Cunniffe noted.
Govt cannot afford to 'sit on our laurels'
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil's Seanad spokesperson on climate action has said that the Government cannot afford to "sit on our laurels" if Ireland is to reach decarbonisation targets.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Timmy Dooley said emissions from heat, transport and large scale industry must be moved to renewable sources of energy.
"If we’re to get the balance right, demand will have to be met through the use of wind or solar," Mr Dooley said.
However, he added that communities "do not want to see more, or a greater proliferation of, wind turbines on land so that poses a problem. That’s why we really have to expedite the transition to offshore".
While the Goverment have plans to address this with "fixed bottom" offshore wind capture, Mr Dooley believes an additional solution will be floating windfarms located in the Atlantic Ocean.
"The technology is emerging, but emerging really quickly, and there are demonstrated projects in Portugal, Norway and off the shore of Scotland," he said.
Despite this, Sinn Féin’s climate justice spokesperson Lynn Boylan said if Ireland was to meet its 2030 target to have 80% renewable energy, efforts must be made to expand onshore wind.
"The experts are saying we're unlikely to make it beyond phase one by 2030, so therefore onshore wind will be critical, and solar as well, in order to reach the 2030 targets." she said.
While floating wind capture should be pursued, Ms Boylan argued it is a technology that will take too much time to develop fully in order to play a significant role in reaching the 2030 targets
"At the moment, all of the experts are telling you is that it's extremely expensive and it’s a few years off yet so what we need to focus on is what we can deliver and that is onshore wind and offshore wind and get the system right so we can deliver it in a timely and efficient manner," she added.
