<P> On 31 July 2009, the output from the country's turbines peaked at 999 megawatts . At that time, 39% of Ireland's demand for electricity was met from wind . On 24 October 2009, the output exceeded 1000 megawatts for the first time with a peak of 1064 MW . </P> <P> In 2008 alone, the rate of growth was 54.6%, amongst the highest in the world . </P> <P> Eddie O'Connor, then CEO of the semi-state owned peat harvesting company, Bord na Móna, commissioned the country's first "commercial wind farm" in a cutaway peat bog in County Mayo in 1992 . </P> <P> In the Directive 2001 / 77 / EC, otherwise known as the RES - E Directive, the European Union stated a goal to have 22% of the total energy consumed by member states to be produced from renewable energy resources by 2010 . As a result, Ireland, in a report titled "Policy Consideration for Renewable Electricity to 2010", made the commitment to have 4% of its total energy consumption come from renewable energy resources by 2002 and 13.2% by 2010 . The Department of Communications Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) founded the Renewable Energy Group (REG) which established the short term analysis group (STAG) to investigate a means of accomplishing this goal . To meet the 2010 target of 13.2%, 1,432 MW of electricity will need to be generated from renewable resources with 1,100 MW being generated from wind resources both onshore and offshore . </P>

When was the first wind farm built in ireland