As 2022 draws to a close, ESB Networks can confirm that it has connected 23 large-scale renewable generator projects to Ireland’s electricity network with total green energy capacity of 688 MW, breaking all previous renewable connection records. This is enough to power approximately 350,000 homes, the equivalent of the population of County Cork.
This comes following the energisation this week of the 95 MW Gillinstown Solar Farm in County Meath, bringing a total of almost 5,400 MW of renewable generation connected to Ireland’s transmission and distribution systems.
In addition, some 79 MW across four battery storage projects were connected this year. Ireland now boasts almost 800 MW of energy storage, which helps the stabilise the network during times of low renewable generation.
ESB Networks Managing Director Nicholas Tarrant says: “The connection of almost 700MW of clean energy this year is a significant collective achievement for ESB Networks, the renewables community and for Ireland. It represents a 15 percent increase in renewable generation year-on-year and it is testament to ESB Networks’ continued investment and innovation in the development of a safe, resilient and flexible electricity network.
Nicholas continues: “Ireland is a world leader in the integration of intermittent renewables on its electricity system, with wind comprising almost half of electricity generation for October and November. The Climate Action Plan and ESB’s Net Zero by 2040 strategy commits to an acceleration in renewables connections in the next decade as we seek to deliver on our climate targets as we transition to a greener, brighter future.”
Furthermore, ESB Networks is on track to connect approximately 34,000 new homes across Ireland by the end of 2022. With new houses and apartments increasingly all-electric, these connections will also facilitate the expansion in the use of clean electricity for heating and transport
A new ‘Networks for Net Zero’ business strategy – setting out how ESB Networks will deliver the electricity network for Ireland’s clean, electric future – will launch in January 2023.
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