Grid constraints cost Ireland enough wind energy to power 667,000 homes in first half of 2026
Sunday 2 August 2026
A report by Wind Energy Ireland, based on EirGrid data, reveals that 15% of the country's cheapest electricity was wasted in the first six months of 2026 due to grid capacity limits.
Ireland lost enough wind energy to power approximately 667,000 homes during the first half of 2026 because the electricity grid could not carry it.
According to a report by Wind Energy Ireland, which based its figures on EirGrid data, an estimated 15% of Ireland's most affordable electricity was wasted over the six-month period. The lost generation was caused by constraints on the electricity grid, which was unable to transmit all of the power produced by wind farms.
The volume of lost renewable energy was described as roughly equal to the combined households of Dublin, Westmeath, and Wicklow. Within the Republic of Ireland, the loss rate reached 13.2%, representing a significant volume of clean electricity that could have otherwise supplied hundreds of thousands of homes.