According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), total renewable power generation soared by 23% between 2014 and 2015, reaching 7.9 TWh in 2015. This corresponded to a 25.3% share of renewables in total power generation, more than half of the 40% target set for 2020. Renewables also contributed by 9.1% of gross final energy consumption in 2015 (target of 16% by 2020).
Over 80% of renewable electricity generated came from wind power, with installed generating capacity reaching 2,440 MW. Wind power and hydropower accounted for 21.1% and 2.5%, respectively, of Ireland's gross electrical consumption, followed by biomass and renewable waste with 1%, landfill gas with 0.6%, biogas for 1% and solar with 0.01%. The use of renewables in fuels used for electricity generation increased by 18.8% in 2015. The largest growth was in wind, with an increase of nearly 28%, accounting for 12.6% or approximately 1/8 of fuels used.
This growth in renewable power generation contributed to limit at 2.5% the increase in the carbon intensity of electricity (average CO2 emissions per kWh generated, 467.5 CO2/kWh in 2015) as coal-fired generation grew during the year. Renewable power generation is estimated to have avoided the emission of nearly 3.2 MtCO2 in 2015.
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