IRISH MAKE MAXIMUM WIND

A Record for Wind in Ireland
James Kanter, August 11, 2009 (NY Times)

"Wind industry proponents have been celebrating a record set in Ireland on Friday, July 31, when output from the country’s turbines peaked at 999 megawatts, which is enough to supply over 650,000 homes."

[Christine Real de Azua, spokeswoman, American Wind Energy Association:] “Much attention has focused on high wind penetrations in Denmark and Spain, but Ireland is emerging as another real world example showing that very high wind penetrations are achievable…”

July 31, an historic day for Aeolus: Y axis is megawatts, X axis is time of the day. (From the NY Times - click to enlarge)

"The record-breaking power reached customers across Ireland, ranging from large industries to households…[No wind installation had its output reduced]…Some places with a lot of wind power, like Texas, must shut down some turbines at times of strong winds due to a lack of transmission capacity, among other problems…

"Up to 39 percent of Ireland’s demand for electricity was met from wind at certain times on July 31… Ireland has a target of getting 40 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. In 2008, the amount of power generated from renewable sources in Ireland was about 11 percent."

August 15, another day for Aeolus: Y axis is megawatts, X axis is time of the day. (From EirGrid - click to enlarge)

"…[E]nergy experts say that countries like Ireland face a challenge when it comes to integrating wind into their small and often isolated power systems. Balancing the intermittent — and sometimes very powerful — contribution from wind is much more difficult than on a large regional or national area…

"John Fitzgerald, a research professor with the Economic and Social Research Institute, an Irish think-tank, has stressed the need for more interconnection with Britain to offload excess power…[D]evelopment of a 500-megawatt interconnector between Ireland and Wales [is] at an advanced stage, and [will] enable power from Ireland to be exported at times...[The new interconnector is] due for completion at the end of 2012 [at a] cost about 600 million euros ($850 million)…There is currently an interconnector between Northern Ireland and Scotland, but none between the Republic of Ireland and Britain."