Ireland’s power transmission system operator EirGrid has announced that renewables generated 49% of Ireland’s electricity in March 2026 (EirGrid press release, 13/04/2026). Contributing 40% of the overall fuel mix in March 2026, wind energy made up a significant proportion of renewable energy. Total wind generation amounted to 1,258 GWh. In the meantime, solar accounted for 3.3%.
Solar output hit a peak of 983.46 MW on 21 March, following earlier highs of 979 MW and 950 MW during the month. These figures relate to grid-scale solar from larger solar parks and do not account for rooftop solar on homes and businesses, known as embedded solar.
“With rooftop (embedded) solar accounted for, EirGrid has observed significant changes in electricity requirements from the National Control Centre. On sunny days, demand during the day for electricity from large electricity generators has declined, as many homes, businesses and farms are powering themselves with embedded solar” stated EirGrid. The grid operator observed days where demand is lower in the early afternoon than at night. "The amount of embedded solar can significantly account for this", said the press release.
The overall electricity system demand stood at 3,142 GWh in March, compared to 3,027 GWh in February.
In its final NECP (2024), Ireland aims to increase its target of renewables’ share in final energy consumption to 43% in 2030 (Enerdata Global Energy Research).