The production of electricity for the Irish national grid (Eirgrid), by nuclear fission, is prohibited in the Republic of Ireland by the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 (Section 18).^[1] The enforcement of this law is only possible within the borders of Ireland, and it does not prohibit consumption. Since 2001 in Northern Ireland and 2012 in the Republic, the grid has become increasingly interconnected with the neighboring electric grid of Britain, and therefore Ireland is now partly powered by overseas nuclear fission stations.

Presently about 6% of Ireland’s electricity generating capacity is in the form of hydropower.

Wind energy is currently the largest contributing resource of renewable energy in Ireland. In 2018 Wind provided 85% of Ireland’s renewable electricity and 30% of our total electricity demand. It is the second greatest source of electricity generation in Ireland after natural gas.

Ireland had an installed solar PV capacity of 29MW in 2018. It is estimated that 1,500MW is achievable by 2022, representing 5 percent of Ireland’s electricity demand. The ISEA estimates that 2GW solar power could create over 7,000 jobs whilst meeting 7 percent of the country’s electricity demand