Onshore Wind

Onshore wind power has grown to become the most efficient renewable energy source in Ireland, with 34% of the country’s total electricity needs in 2022 being supplied by onshore wind in 2022 (Wind Energy Ireland, 2022).

RWE are one of the world’s largest operators of renewable energy and have onshore wind farms of more than 6.5GW globally. In Ireland, we have developed and built 10MW of onshore wind capacity and we have a development pipeline of over 500MW which we plan to deliver over the coming years.

Experienced project development

With its team of over 30 experienced employees in Ireland, RWE designs wind farm projects in consultation with elected officials, residents, local associations and administrative authorities. Leveraging the global experience and capabilities of the RWE Group across the entire value chain, RWE not only develops, but also constructs and operates wind farms. 

From the launch of a project to its dismantling or renewal, we pay special attention to the quality of our work by involving our stakeholders in the project very early on – here, without a doubt, coordination is the key to success.

Experienced project development | Onshore wind

How developers decide
where a wind farm might be placed

  • Assess the areas of wind potential ranging from areas with extensive wind energy resources to lesser wind resources using SEAI's Wind Atlas for Ireland.

  • Review the County Development Plan to identify those areas which have been zoned strategically for wind development by the County Council / local planning authority. In conjunction with the plan prepare an evaluation of the landscape and its sensitivity for wind energy developments.

  • Identify suitable lands in the area large enough to accommodate a wind farm, while maintaining an appropriate distance from houses in line with national guidance and best practice.

  • Identify any Natura 2000 Sites or national environmentally-sensitive designated sites in the area to be avoided.

  • Integrate the areas identified in the above steps with information regarding accessibility to electricity transmission and distribution grids.

  • After these initial investigations, a potential area for development is identified and the next step is to identify 'constraints'. A constraint is a limiting factor on selection of a site such as nearby houses, cultural heritage assets in the vicinity environmental or technical / physical factors (mountains / rivers / lakes / geology, etc.).

  • These are then mapped and the remaining parcels of land that could potentially accommodate a wind farm are identified.

Community consultation

RWE is committed to community consultation and we will endeavour to engage with you as much as we can during the planning process for any of our onshore developments.

This may include things like sending you the information by post or email, or organising a face-to-face or virtual meetings. You can contact us at any time, and our contact information can be found here.

Community consultation | Onshore wind

Onshore wind team

RWE Renewables Ireland Limited

Unit 5, Desart House,
Lower New Street,
Kilkenny, R95 H488
Ireland
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