From September 2025 through August 2026, low-carbon sources supplied about 44% of Ireland’s electricity consumption, ahead of fossil fuels at roughly 39%. Wind was the largest clean source, providing about 34%, followed by solar at 4%, hydropower at 3%, and biofuels at just under 3%. Gas supplied almost 39% of electricity consumption, accounting for nearly all the fossil share. Net imports covered the remaining 16%; the data do not specify how that imported electricity was generated. Ireland therefore has a substantial clean electricity foundation, but still relies heavily on fossil generation, with its associated climate emissions and air pollution.

Is Electricity Growing in Ireland?

Ireland’s low-carbon electricity generation is growing, although electricity consumption per person remains slightly below its historical peak. The latest 2026 consumption figure is about 6,800 kWh per person, just 61 kWh—or less than 1%—below the record of 6,854 kWh in 2006. By contrast, low-carbon generation reached a new record of almost 3,000 kWh per person, around 200 kWh, or 7%, above the previous record set in 2025. That clean electricity growth is encouraging, but the figures do not establish whether total national electricity consumption is increasing: they measure consumption per person. Expanding clean electricity supply remains important for electrification and growing demand from AI.

Suggestions

Ireland should build on its strong wind sector while accelerating solar deployment and considering nuclear power as an additional source of low-carbon electricity. Denmark, a particularly relevant northern European example, generates about 59% of its electricity from wind, compared with Ireland’s 34%, demonstrating the scope for further expansion. For solar, the Netherlands generates about 19% and Denmark 15%, offering useful examples from relatively nearby climates. Nuclear also merits serious consideration: France generates about two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear power, while Finland generates more than a third. Learning from these regions could help Ireland develop a larger, more diverse clean electricity supply, supported by stronger grids, interconnections, and storage.

History

Ireland’s recent low-carbon electricity history has been driven chiefly by wind. In the second half of the 2000s, wind generation increased by about 0.5 TWh in each of 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009. Hydropower fell by 0.5 TWh in 2010, but the following decade brought substantial wind gains: 1.6 TWh in 2011, a combined 2.5 TWh during 2013–2015, and a further 3.3 TWh during 2017–2019, following a 0.4 TWh setback in 2016. Wind then rose by 2.1 TWh in 2020, dropped by 1.8 TWh in 2021, and recovered 1.4 TWh in 2022, highlighting the importance of sustained clean electricity expansion. Biofuel generation fell by 0.5 TWh in 2023 before recovering 0.4 TWh in 2024. In 2026, gains of 0.5 TWh from wind and 0.4 TWh from solar marked welcome further progress.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Sep 2025 – Aug 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.