ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • 61 Industry News Wind Power Curtailed as Grid Constraints Leave Renewable Energy Unused Ireland's electricity grid is struggling to keep pace with the rapid expansion of renewable energy, with enough windgenerated electricity lost during the first six months of 2026 to power approximately 667,000 homes, according to new analysis from Wind Energy Ireland (WEI). Based on data from EirGrid, the industry body estimates that around 15 per cent of all wind energy generated between January and June could not be used because the electricity network lacked the capacity to transport it to homes and businesses. The figure equates to enough electricity to supply every household in Dublin, Westmeath and Wicklow combined, underlining the growing challenge of matching renewable generation with the infrastructure needed to deliver it. The findings come despite a milestone month for Ireland's wind sector. Wind farms recorded their highest-ever June output, generating almost five per cent more electricity than the previous June record set in 2025. The strong performance also helped reverse several months of rising wholesale electricity prices, reinforcing wind energy's role in delivering affordable power to consumers. Wind continues to be Ireland's largest source of clean electricity, supplying more than one-third of the country's electricity demand so far this year. However, the increasing level of renewable energy curtailment is becoming a significant concern for the industry, highlighting the widening gap between renewable generation capacity and the electricity system's ability to accommodate it. Justin Moran, Director of External Affairs at Wind Energy Ireland, said the scale of the lost renewable energy represented both an economic and environmental cost. Industry News "In the first six months of this year, 15 per cent of Ireland's most affordable electricity was wasted because our existing grid was simply not strong enough to carry all the power that our wind farms produced to Irish homes and businesses," he said. "Every unit of renewable electricity we lose is a missed opportunity to reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels and lower electricity costs for Irish consumers and businesses." The organisation welcomed the Government's continued commitment to strengthening the national electricity network through the Programme for Government, as well as recent funding announcements designed to accelerate grid development. While acknowledging the longterm work underway by EirGrid and ESB Networks to modernise the transmission system, Wind Energy Ireland believes additional shortterm measures could unlock more renewable generation using existing infrastructure. Among the industry's priorities is the introduction of technologies capable of increasing the capacity of existing power lines, together with policy changes that would allow wind farms to co-locate battery storage on site. Ireland loses enough clean electricity to power 667,000 homes in first half of 2026, highlighting urgent need for grid investment despite record wind generation. At present, wind developers remain unable to integrate battery systems directly with many wind farms, limiting their ability to store surplus electricity when network constraints prevent it from reaching the grid. "New infrastructure cannot be built overnight, but we need solutions that can make a difference in the short term," Moran said. "We should use every tool available to us now to make better use of the electricity network we already have—allowing more renewable energy to connect and helping existing lines carry more power." With Ireland targeting significantly higher levels of renewable electricity generation over the coming decade, the industry argues that grid reinforcement, energy storage and smart network technologies will be essential if the country is to fully capitalise on its world-class wind resource. "Ireland has a world-class wind resource, and with the right investment, we can turn more of that renewable energy into more affordable, secure and clean electricity to power homes and businesses across the country," Moran concluded.
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