Most of the world’s electricity is produced by spinning turbines. Traditional power plants achieve this by burning fossil fuels - coal, oil, or gas - to create steam, which drives a turbine connected to a generator. This process releases carbon dioxide and harmful emissions.

Wind turbines operate on the exact same principle but use the natural power of wind instead of steam. The turbine’s blades are designed to efficiently capture the wind’s energy. As the wind turns the blades, a shaft inside the turbine spins a generator, producing clean electricity. This electricity is then sent to the national grid where it powers homes, businesses, and streetlights without emitting greenhouse gases.

‍A major issue with traditional power plants is efficiency - a large portion of the energy in fossil fuels is lost as heat when they are burned. Ireland primarily operates natural gas power plants, which typically lose around 40% of the fuel’s energy as waste heat during electricity generation [1]. This means a significant share of emissions comes from energy that never becomes usable electricity.

By contrast, wind energy does not rely on combustion and produces no emissions during operation. Once the wind turns the blades, the turbine efficiently converts that captured energy into electricity without fuel losses or waste heat. The Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI) take this process to be 100% efficient [2]. In this way, wind power makes use of the natural energy available, providing clean electricity directly from the wind.

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[1] Whitegate Powerstation, Jones Engineering, Link. This is Ireland’s most efficient gas plant. Though commissioned in 2010, thermal power plants cannot achieve efficiencies much higher than this.

‍[2] SEAI (2024). Energy in Ireland 2024. Link.

‍To meet its ambitious 2030 climate goals, Ireland must move away from fossil fuels, and wind power is the natural choice. The country’s strong, consistent, and reliable wind resources make it one of the best locations in the world for green energy. Expanding wind energy also enhances energy security by reducing dependence on imported fuels and exposure to global price fluctuations. In 2024 alone wind energy prevented more than €1.2 billion of imported foreign fossil fuels and carbon costs [1]. Moreover, in Ireland, wind power is the most cost-effective and dependable renewable energy option available [2].

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[1] Baringa, Wind Energy Ireland. (2025). Cutting Carbon, Cutting Bills. Analysis of savings in gas consumption delivered by wind farms in 2024. Dublin: Baringa, Wind Energy Ireland. Link.

[2] Solar Now (2024) Photovoltaics Report. Link.

The power grid operator constantly matches the electricity generation available to electricity demand. No power plant is 100% reliable, and the electricity grid is designed to cope with power plants shutting down unexpectedly, and times when the wind is not blowing. Wind is variable, but predictable. Wind farm sites are chosen after careful analysis of wind patterns. This enables a forecast of output to be made - information which can be made available to the network operators who will distribute the electricity.

At present, when wind generation is low, fossil fuel-powered plants are used to make up the shortfall. Over time, increasing levels of solar generation and renewable energy storage will reduce the need for fossil fuels and help ensure a more resilient, low-carbon electricity system.

Wind energy is currently the largest contributing resource of renewable energy in Ireland. It is both Ireland’s largest and cheapest renewable electricity resource. The May 2024 Wind Energy report shows that Ireland’s wind farms provided 35 per cent of the country’s electricity over the first five months of 2024 [1].

The Climate Action Plan to tackle climate breakdown, issued by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE) in 2023 (CAP 23) commits Ireland to supplying up to 80% of our electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030 [2].

[1] Wind Energy Ireland (2024). Link.

[2] DCCAE. Link.

Once operational, the proposed Curraghmore Renewable Energy Project would contribute to a community benefit fund, ensuring that the local area benefits directly from the wind farm. The operation of these schemes varies, but in 2024 Irish wind farms invested €6.65 million in community benefit schemes across the country [1]. These funds support local projects, festivals, clubs, schools, sports clubs and energy efficiency programmes. Some wind farm operators also use these funds to provide local amenities such as walking trails, cycleways and nature trails.

Wind farms also make a substantial financial contribution to local authorities in rural Ireland through the commercial rates system. In 2020 wind farms paid roughly €45 million in commercial rates, with the potential to rise to €100 million by 2030 [2]. In some counties, this income represents a significant share of total commercial rates revenue. For example, wind farms in Tipperary pay €5,824,297 annually, accounting for nearly 16% of the county council’s total commercial rates income [3].

This revenue enables councils to fund roads, programmes and services across rural Ireland although ultimately, how this funding is spent, is a matter for the county council.

[1] Wind Energy Ireland (2025). Link.

[2] KPMG, Wind Energy Ireland (2021). Economic impact of onshore wind in Ireland. Link.

[3] Western Development Commission (2025). Link.

It’s understandable to think wind farms should be built far from homes in remote areas. While some wind farms are in sparsely populated locations, there are limits to what is possible in Ireland. One big constraint is the electricity grid - many remote areas don’t have the infrastructure to carry the power generated. Some areas are also protected, like nature reserves, and cannot be developed.

Ireland is a small country, and there isn’t enough truly remote land to meet our renewable energy needs. By 2030, Ireland aims for 80% of electricity to come from renewables, which requires 8 GW of onshore wind. With only 5 GW currently installed, we need to expand. This means suitable areas closer to settlements will need to be considered, while still following planning rules and minimising local impacts.

The development of utility-scale electricity projects is a lengthy and complex process. From initial project design through planning, construction, and commissioning, projects typically take several years to complete. During this period, developers incur significant costs but generate no revenue, which can make project development challenging.

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) helps address this issue by providing a guaranteed revenue framework. This enables projects to plan with greater certainty and to secure financing throughout the development and construction phases.

RESS operates through a series of competitive auctions. Renewable electricity generators submit bids specifying the amount of electricity they will generate and the price at which they can deliver it. Projects are awarded contracts starting with the lowest-priced bids and progressing upwards until the required capacity is met. To date, five RESS auctions have taken place, with the most recent held in September 2025 [1].

All projects supported under RESS are required to contribute €2 per megawatt-hour of electricity generated to a community benefit fund, ensuring that local communities share directly in the benefits of renewable energy development.

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[1] Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Link.

Views on wind farms vary widely. Some see them as an unwelcome change to our much-loved countryside, while others regard them as graceful structures that symbolise progress and the transition to clean energy. In many cases, it is the change itself that raises concern, as features that already exist in the landscape, such as electricity pylons, are often no longer questioned. Ultimately, these views are personal and subjective.

What is not subjective, however, is the long-term impact of climate change. If left unaddressed, it poses a far greater and more lasting threat to our landscapes than wind energy infrastructure. Taking action now by reducing energy consumption and moving away from fossil fuel-based electricity will help to safeguard the countryside so it can be enjoyed by future generations.

No. Empower Renewable’s wind or solar farms do not involve the installation of electrical pylons or overhead transmission lines. Instead, all transmission lines will be buried out of sight in the form of underground cables. Empower Renewables will endeavour to create the minimum visual and ecological impact by locating these transmission lines along existing public roads and access tracks where possible.

It is the duty of Empower Renewables to demonstrate during the planning process that noise levels of our turbines will not adversely affect local residents. The studies completed during this period will be used to design each new wind farm so noise levels at nearby residential homes do not exceed national planning guidelines. Noise level limits for all our projects are determined in accordance with the Wind Energy Development Guidelines, The Institute of Acoustics (IoA) Good Practice Guide and Irish legislative case law. The Draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines December 2019. Turbine noise must not exceed background noise levels by more than 5 dB(A) within the range of 35–43 dB(A) and must not exceed an absolute limit of 43 dB(A). 

Infrasound, often described as low-frequency sound, refers to sound below 20 Hz. It is a normal and widespread part of both the natural and built environment, generated by sources such as sea waves, weather, animals, road traffic, buildings, household appliances, and wind turbines. As such, infrasound is something people are routinely exposed to in everyday life.

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The overwhelming consensus in peer-reviewed scientific research is that infrasound from wind turbines does not cause adverse health effects. Studies have consistently found that infrasound levels from wind turbines are well below the threshold of human perception. A 2016 investigation by the German Ministry for the Environment concluded that wind turbines make no significant contribution to environmental infrasound and that no harmful effects can be inferred when planning standards are met [1]. More recently, a 2023 double-blind randomised study found no physiological or psychological effects from exposure to simulated wind turbine infrasound [2]. Similar conclusions have been reached by a range of independent institutions, including Renewables UK, Sydney University Medical School, MIT, and the Quebec National Institute of Public Health.

[1] Baden-Wurttemberg. (2016). Low-frequency noise incl. infrasound from wind turbines and other sources.

[2] The Health Effects of 72 Hours of Simulated Wind Turbine Infrasound: A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Study in Noise-Sensitive, Healthy Adults. Link.

Wind turbines are not considered a significant source of EMF exposure since emissions levels around wind farms are low [1]. The overwhelming scientific evidence is that there is nothing unique to wind farms with respect to EMF exposure; in fact, magnetic field levels in the immediate vicinity of wind turbines are regularly lower than those produced by many common household electrical devices and are well below any existing regulatory guidelines with respect to human health [2].

[1] Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario (2010). The potential health impact of wind turbines. Link.

[2] Intrinsik Environmental Sciences (2014). Measuring electromagnetic fields (EMF) around wind turbines in Canada: is there a human health concern? Link.

Shadow flicker refers to the effect of the sun (low on the horizon) shining through the rotating blades of a wind turbine, casting a moving shadow. Present planning guidelines require that any possible effects of shadow flicker are mitigated entirely by installing solar sensors on the turbine which slow or shut down the turbine during times of possible shadow flicker [1]. Therefore, no residents will be affected.

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[1] Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (2019). Draft wind energy guidelines. Link.