Lower wind speed in 2021 sees fall in renewable electricity generated

The majority of renewable electricity generated in 2021 came from wind

The amount of renewable electricity generated and consumed in NI fell in 2021 due to lower wind speeds.

A report from the Department of the Economy says that, in the year December 2021, 41.3% of the electricity consumed in Northern Ireland was generated from renewable sources.

That is down from 49.2% in the previous 12 months.

The majority of renewable electricity generated in 2021 came from wind (82.1%).

That was slightly less than the previous year where 84.9% came from wind.

That reflects the unusually low wind activity during the year, and is the lowest wind proportion on record.

But in six of the 12 months of the year, more than 40% of the electricity consumed came from renewable sources.

That peaked in February 2021, with almost two-thirds (65.4%) coming from renewables.

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It dropped to a low of 18.8% in July 2021, when a high pressure weather system was dominant and there were very light winds.

Renewable energy came from other sources as well, including biogas (6.8%), biomass (5.1%), solar panels (3.9%) and landfill gas (1.6%).