Renewable Energy Ireland – Progress Toward the 80% Target and the Changing Energy Mix

Renewable energy in Ireland is scaling faster than at any point in the country’s history. With nearly 8 GW of renewable generation capacity already installed – including over 5 GW of onshore wind and 2.3 GW of solar – Ireland has committed to one of the most ambitious clean energy targets in Europe: generating 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, up from approximately 40% today.

This guide examines the make-up of Ireland’s current energy mix, the progress being made across wind, solar, hydro and biomass, the grid and planning challenges that threaten to slow deployment, and the EU targets that are driving the transition.

🎯 The 80% Renewable Electricity Target

Ireland’s Climate Action Plan includes a target to generate at least 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. This is one of the most ambitious renewable electricity targets in the EU and represents a significant increase from where the country stands today. In 2024, renewables accounted for approximately 40 to 41% of total electricity generation, with wind contributing around a third and solar, hydro and biomass making up the remainder.

To reach 80%, Ireland plans to have approximately 22 GW of renewable electricity capacity installed by 2030, up from nearly 8 GW at the start of 2026. This includes targets for 9,000 MW of onshore wind, at least 5,000 MW of offshore wind, 8,000 MW of solar PV, and supporting storage and grid infrastructure. The scale of the challenge is significant – Ireland needs to roughly triple its renewable capacity in under five years.

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien highlighted in February 2026 that Ireland has already made substantial progress, describing the country as a world leader for installed wind capacity per capita and for grid integration of variable renewables. However, progress on offshore wind and grid reinforcement remains behind schedule, putting the 2030 target under pressure.

🌬️ Wind – The Backbone of Renewable Generation

Onshore wind remains by far the largest source of renewable electricity in Ireland, with over 5,000 MW of installed capacity generating approximately a third of national electricity demand. The sector has been growing steadily for two decades and has a strong project pipeline, with 450 MW under construction and around 2,500 MW holding planning permission.

The challenge for onshore wind is accelerating the rate of deployment from recent levels of 150 to 250 MW per year to the much faster pace needed to reach 9,000 MW by 2030. Planning delays, community opposition and grid connection constraints remain the primary bottlenecks.

Offshore wind represents Ireland’s biggest long-term opportunity but also its biggest near-term challenge. The country currently has just 25 MW of offshore capacity from the Arklow Bank Phase 1 project, which was installed in 2004 and is due to be decommissioned. Several major projects are progressing through planning, including Codling Wind Park (1,300 MW), Dublin Array (824 MW) and Arklow Bank Phase 2 (520 MW), but none are yet under construction. A successful auction for the Tonn Nua site off Waterford in late 2025 awarded 900 MW to an ESB and Orsted joint venture, but the timeline for further offshore projects beyond the initial phase remains uncertain.

☀️ Solar – Rapid Growth From a Low Base

Solar PV has been Ireland’s fastest growing renewable technology in recent years, despite the country not being known for its sunshine. By December 2025, installed solar capacity had reached 2,345 MW, more than tripling since 2023. Around 1,005 MW of new solar was added in 2025 alone, compared to 452 MW in 2024 and 543 MW in 2023.

Of the total installed solar capacity, 1,322 MW comes from utility-scale solar farms, 727 MW from distributed microgeneration (primarily residential rooftop systems), and the remainder from small-scale commercial and farm-based installations. The RESS auction system has driven much of the utility-scale growth, with solar accounting for the majority of capacity awarded in recent auction rounds.

The government target is 8,000 MW of solar PV by 2030. With a current development pipeline of 1.7 GW and the trajectory of recent additions, this target appears achievable if the current pace of deployment is maintained. The introduction of the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS) in January 2025, offering export tariffs for community, farm and small business projects up to 6 MW, has opened a new pathway for solar development beyond the large auction process.

Microgeneration has been a particular success story. The SEAI grant of up to 1,800 euro for domestic solar PV panels, combined with the 0% VAT rate on solar panel supply and installation introduced in May 2023, has made rooftop solar one of the most financially accessible renewable energy options for homeowners. The microgeneration support scheme allows households to export surplus electricity to the grid and receive payment, improving the payback period further. The 727 MW of distributed microgeneration capacity already installed demonstrates strong public appetite for household-level renewable generation.

The solar sector has also highlighted the importance of hybrid projects – the co-location of solar panels with battery storage and even wind turbines on the same site. The RESS-2 auction in 2022 included, for the first time, eligible hybrid projects combining storage with renewable generation, and this trend is expected to continue as developers look to maximise the value of grid connections and smooth the variability of solar output.

💧 Hydro, Biomass and Other Sources

Hydropower is Ireland’s oldest renewable electricity source, with the 292 MW Turlough Hill pumped storage station in County Wicklow operating since the 1970s and several smaller run-of-river hydro plants around the country. While there is limited potential for new large hydro in Ireland, existing stations continue to provide valuable baseload and peaking capacity.

Biomass and biogas make smaller contributions to the renewable electricity mix, with solid biomass used mainly in the heating sector (providing around 222 ktoe of energy) and biogas contributing to electricity generation. The co-firing of biomass at former peat power stations was explored as a transitional measure, but peat-fired electricity generation ceased in 2023 as Ireland moved to close its last peat plants.

In the transport sector, biofuels accounted for 8.6% of total transport energy consumption in 2023 under the Renewable Transport Fuel Policy. The 2025-2027 policy aims to increase the share of renewable fuels in transport, though the long-term strategy focuses on electrification of the vehicle fleet rather than biofuel expansion.

⚡ Grid Challenges and the RESS Auction System

Ireland’s electricity grid, operated by EirGrid (transmission) and ESB Networks (distribution), faces enormous pressure as renewable capacity expands. The grid was originally designed around a small number of large centralised power stations, whereas the renewable system involves thousands of distributed generators – wind farms, solar parks and rooftop panels – feeding power into the network from multiple locations.

Grid connection offers are a major constraint. Over 2.2 GW of battery storage projects either have a grid connection or are in the process of obtaining one, and the queue for wind and solar connections is even longer. The IEA has identified the lack of a speedy and predictable planning and consenting regime as a major bottleneck for Ireland’s energy transition, impacting the entire value chain.

The 700 MW Celtic Interconnector between Ireland and France, due online at the end of 2026, will provide the first direct electricity link between the two countries and add flexibility to the Irish grid. Further interconnection is being explored as part of the longer-term strategy, though new projects face their own planning and construction timelines.

🌍 EU Targets and Compliance

Ireland operates within the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive framework. Under RED III, which entered into force in November 2023, the EU has set a binding target for at least 42.5% of overall energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2030. Ireland’s national target within this framework covers electricity, heating and transport.

Ireland fell short of its original 2020 target of 16% overall renewable energy share, achieving 13.5% – one of the larger gaps in the EU. The country is determined not to repeat this experience, and the 80% renewable electricity target is designed to ensure compliance with EU obligations while also delivering on national climate commitments.

The renewable heat target requires Ireland to increase its share of renewable energy in heating and cooling to approximately 15.8% by 2030, up from 7.9% in 2024. Progress here has been slower than in electricity, making investments in heat pumps, district heating and building efficiency increasingly urgent.

💡 The Investment and Economic Opportunity

The transition to renewable energy involves very large capital investments but also creates significant economic opportunities. The offshore wind sector alone is expected to attract billions of euro in investment, with individual projects like Codling Wind Park requiring capital expenditure exceeding 2 billion euro. Onshore wind, solar and storage projects add further billions to the investment pipeline.

Ireland’s energy import dependence has historically been among the highest in the EU, with the country relying almost entirely on imports of natural gas and oil from the UK. Every megawatt hour of renewable electricity generated domestically displaces imported fossil fuels, improving the trade balance and reducing exposure to volatile international energy markets.

Employment in the renewable energy sector has grown substantially, with roles spanning planning, construction, operations, maintenance and professional services. Wind Energy Ireland, Solar Ireland and other industry bodies continue to highlight the need for expanded training and education programmes to meet growing workforce demands.

🔮 Can Ireland Hit 80% by 2030?

The honest assessment is that achieving exactly 80% renewable electricity by 2030 will be extremely challenging. The offshore wind projects that would make the biggest single contribution are still years from generating power. Grid reinforcement is proceeding but faces its own planning and construction timelines. And electricity demand continues to grow, driven partly by data centres, electric vehicles and heat pump adoption, which raises the absolute volume of renewable generation needed.

Data centres deserve particular mention. By 2028, they are expected to account for approximately 29% of all electricity demand in Ireland – a remarkable figure for a sector that barely existed in the country two decades ago. While data centres increase total demand, they also provide an opportunity for flexible load management and, as the Tallaght district heating scheme has demonstrated, can be sources of waste heat for local communities. Ensuring that data centre growth is compatible with Ireland’s renewable targets is one of the more complex policy challenges facing the sector.

However, the trajectory of progress is genuinely impressive. Wind capacity continues to grow, solar is scaling rapidly, storage is being integrated into the market, and the policy and financial support framework is stronger than ever. Ireland may not hit 80% exactly on schedule, but the direction of travel is clear and irreversible. The decisions made in the next two to three years on planning reform, grid investment and offshore wind delivery will determine how close the country gets.