Sir, – You write (Editorial, October 28th) that “wind energy is making an unprecedented contribution to Ireland’s peak electricity demand”. Perhaps your readers don’t appreciate that it is certainly a most inefficient contribution: while the generating capacity of wind is some 23 per cent of the total, it supplies a mere 10 per cent of our electricity. This is because there are frequent occasions – especially during the coldest spells – when wind’s contribution can be almost nil.
On October 24th, for example, the contribution of wind fell from about 1,000 MW to below 100 MW in just 15 hours. Consequently, other forms of energy had to be brought into play, meaning the consumption of fossil fuels. Is this what we want? With the current obsession about wind energy it is inevitable, as you point out, that we will need more power lines. This would not be necessary if nuclear power were to be installed at the sites of current power stations, where the grid connections already exist.
Nuclear would also be the ideal partner for wind, especially to fill in when the turbines don’t turn. – Yours, etc,