Updated
Updated · Midwest Radio · Jul 28
Ireland Wastes 15% of Wind Power, Leaving 667,000 Homes' Worth Unused
Updated
Updated · Midwest Radio · Jul 28

Ireland Wastes 15% of Wind Power, Leaving 667,000 Homes' Worth Unused

3 articles · Updated · Midwest Radio · Jul 28

Summary

  • 15% of Ireland's wind generation was lost in the first half of 2026 because the electricity grid lacked capacity to carry it.
  • 667,000 homes could have been powered by that wasted renewable electricity, according to Wind Energy Ireland, which said grid upgrades have lagged wind generation growth.
  • EirGrid put wind dispatch-down at 13.2% and has outlined a €18.9 billion, five-year investment plan to strengthen the national network.
  • The losses underscore a wider bottleneck for Ireland's energy transition: renewable capacity is expanding faster than the infrastructure needed to deliver it.

Insights

With enough wind power wasted to supply 667,000 homes, why are Irish consumers still paying premium prices for imported fossil fuels?
Could the massive surplus of wasted Irish wind energy become the ultimate loophole for power-hungry data centers to bypass grid restrictions?
As Ireland races to build a €18.9 billion super-grid, will revolutionary CO2 batteries arrive in time to stop the massive renewable energy bleed?