Sunny weather in June produced a number of new solar power records for Ireland, according to provisional data from grid operator EirGrid.
Periods of fine weather on 6 June and 16 June saw new records set, with a final peak of 768 MW (Megawatts) set shortly before noon on Thursday, 19 June. This means the peak for grid-scale solar in Ireland is almost 200 MW higher at the midway point in 2025 than at the same time last year.
Renewable electricity met 38% of demand in June, with 30% of total electricity needs being met by wind power and 5% coming from solar over the month. Gas proved the single largest source of electricity generation in June at 36%, with imports at 23%.
Just over 1% of demand was met by coal, with June marking the last month in which it will be used for electricity generation following the final use of coal power at Moneypoint.
While renewables can provide for up to 75% of electricity at any given time, what is known as the System Non-Synchronous Penetration or ‘SNSP’ limit, the level of renewables on the system dropped to as low as 5% at points in June.
Periods of lowest renewable availability typically occur on still nights where there is little wind and no solar activity, with electricity predominantly coming from conventional generation at such times.
Overall electricity system demand stood at 2,636 GWh (Gigawatt Hours) for June, marking a slight decrease from demand in May.
Charlie McGee, System Operational Manager at EirGrid, said: “While it doesn’t necessarily need to be sunny to produce solar power, some of the peaks we see over the summer period typically occur during periods of strong sunshine.
“The increased rollout of grid-scale solar in Ireland means we’re seeing more records being set, with a marked increase from the levels of generation we saw just a year ago. June was an important month for the electricity grid in another sense, as we will no longer see coal reflected in our fuel mix following its final use in Moneypoint last month.”
