NOW Ireland – The National Offshore Wind Energy Association of Ireland was established in 2007 to promote the development of Ireland’s substantial offshore wind resource and to ensure that our island leads the way in building a sustainable, green economy. The founding companies of NOW Ireland have the potential to generate over 2600MW of energy from existing resources, that’s 40% of Ireland’s total energy requirement from green energy sources, and an investment in excess of €8 billion.

People are used to seeing wind farms onshore with many such developments built in recent years. Offshore wind energy uses similar technology to onshore wind energy but has some crucial differences. Offshore wind delivers considerably higher load factors, offering between 1.5 and 2 times the efficiency of onshore wind. This is due to the higher wind speeds available at sea. Offshore wind turbines typically have a higher electricity output than onshore, with turbines of 5MW capacity now in production, and larger turbines of up to 10MW capacity in development. This compares to an average turbine capacity of around 2MW for onshore wind. While onshore wind energy will continue to be a significant part of Ireland’s renewable energy portfolio, the capacity available through offshore wind will be essential to meet our national and international targets and increase security of supply for Ireland.

Ireland has the resources to be a world leader in offshore wind and renewable energy in general. A clear strategy will be required to develop this resource and ensure we meet our environmental obligations and targets. NOW Ireland has been founded to promote offshore wind energy and to work with policy makers to increase their understanding of its potential. Our primary goal is to make renewable energy Ireland’s primary energy source.