March saw another red letter day for solar power in Ireland with an all-time single-day high set for solar power generation.

March 25 saw some 750MW of electricity coming from grid-scale solar power at one point, the highest ever figure recorded in a single day after beating the previous record set in July 2024 by 18MW.

In all, this March saw the third-highest ever amount of solar-powered electricity produced in the course of a calendar month.

This is just from grid-scale solar farms, and does not include all of the rooftop solar panels installed in Ireland which reduced demand from the grid to begin with.

In total 39% of Ireland’s electricity came from renewable sources last month according to provisional figures from EirGrid.

Last month also saw further records set on the power system, with the highest ever level of discharge from grid-scale battery power sources seen on 14 March. 

For context, the just under 300 MW of power discharged from batteries during this peak is greater than the maximum output from the Turlough Hill hydropower facility.

Currently, the electricity grid can accommodate up to 75% of electricity from renewable sources at any one time: what is known as the system non-synchronous penetration (SNSP) limit. 

While renewable generation reached up to the 75% limit at various points in the month, there were also periods where renewable generation provided for as little as 5% of demand.

Eirgrid is rolling out further upgrades to the national electricity grid which aims to further increase that limit to 80%, while also supporting the connection of new renewable energy sources.

Charlie McGee, System Operational Manager at EirGrid, said: “March was a landmark month for solar power on the electricity grid. “

“While just under 3% of total electricity generation came from solar for the month, during particularly sunny periods this peaked at over 18% which augurs well for further records this summer.” 

“This is made possible by the connection of greater amounts of grid-scale solar as we work towards achieving a cleaner energy future for Ireland’s power system.”

“It was also encouraging to see a new peak set for power discharged from batteries on the grid. February’s wind power record followed by a new solar peak in March shows the need for battery storage so we can hold greater amounts of renewable electricity in reserve for use during periods of high demand.”