Ireland’s wind industry will this week open its doors to businesses that want to learn more about the opportunities to invest in renewables. Twenty-four wind farms, comprising almost 250 individual wind turbines, will be open to businesses for the week.

The openings have been organised to celebrate Global Wind Day, which is marked across Europe on June 15th every year and will coincide with the Irish Wind Energy Association’s launch of a new guide for businesses on the benefits of having on-site wind energy.

The guide will include specific case studies from Janssen Biologics in Co Cork and from Dundalk Institute of Technology. Kenneth Matthews, chief executive of the Irish Wind Energy Association, says the industry is keen to highlight to businesses how wind energy works and how it can actually reduce electricity prices in Ireland for both domestic and industrial energy users.

“We are encouraging businesses that use significant quantities of energy to go and see wind energy in action, and to consider actually investing in wind energy for their own sites.”

He said a number of businesses such as Ikea have already invested in Irish wind energy and Apple’s recent announcement that it is to invest directly in Irish renewables has further heightened the positive value of Ireland’s renewable resource.

“There is a very clear desire among some of the world’s largest and most influential companies to shift to cleaner and more sustainable sources of electricity generation and we’ve already witnessed the role renewable energies, such as wind, can play in attracting foreign direct investment into Ireland.”

He said businesses are now showing a significant interest in adopting sustainable energy practices into their organisations and the wind farm openings this month allied with this new guide for business will do more to promote the integration of clean energy with effective and efficient business.

Companies opening up wind farms this week include ABO Wind, Bord Na Móna, Dundalk IT, ESB, Ecopower, Energia, Gaelectric, Galetech, Mainstream Renewable Power, SSE Airtricity and others.

The wind farms that will open this week represent approximately €800 million worth of Irish wind energy infrastructure.