Just under a third of Ireland's electricity came from renewables last month as the country's last coal-fired power station was decommissioned.

Wind energy met 24 per cent of total demand while six per cent came from solar, provisional data from electricity grid operator EirGrid shows.

Combined with other sources, renewables accounted for 32 per cent of electricity usage for the month.

Grid-connected solar generation reached a new record of 798MW last month, up 30MW from the previous peak.

ESB ended coal generation at Moneypoint power station in Co Clare earlier than planned in late June as it transitions the facility to generating oil instead. As a result, coal did not feature in Ireland's electricity fuel mix in July.

Gas was the single largest source of electricity generation in July at 51 per cent, with imports at 15 per cent. Overall, electricity demand for the month came to 2,734GWh.

Once again, fluctuations in electricity demand were noticeable during the All-Ireland finals, with increases of around 80 MW coinciding with half-times as viewers switched on kettles and other appliances during breaks in play.

EirGrid said that investment in the electricity grid, such as that announced in the National Development Plan recently, will be vital for enabling the necessary upgrades and reinforcements to the grid to ensure it is resilient and capable of accommodating greater amounts of renewable energy in future.

“As the power system marked the first full month of a new coal-free era, we’ve continued to see new milestones set for grid-scale solar power with the peak now standing at just below the 800 Megawatt mark as of July – a figure that may still be surpassed over the coming months," said Diarmaid Gillespie, director of system operations at EirGrid.

(Pic: Getty Images)