Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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520. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his Department monitors, or plans to monitor, the productivity and pattern of seasonal output of wind farms here; and if so, if these reports will be made publicly available. [6956/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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My Department does not monitor the productivity or output of wind farms as this is not a matter in which I, as Minister, have a role or function.

EirGrid, in its role as electricity Transmission System Operator, monitors the output of windfarms on a continuous basis. EirGrid’s website provides historic information on the total electrical output of all wind farms on the system at 15 minute intervals. In addition, EirGrid publishes an Annual Wind Constraint and Curtailment Report which provides a summary of the total installed capacity of windfarms on a monthly basis as well as the monthly aggregated capacity factor. The capacity factor is a measure of the productivity of a windfarm over a specific period of time.