There is much recrimination about the latest predictions showing Ireland is making at best modest progress in cutting its carbon emissions. But one technology is delivering its targeted contribution to halving emissions by 2030: solar energy. <\/p>\n
Its rise within a few years is striking. \u201cThe run rate is 1 gigawatt (GW) a year in connected solar,\u201d says Ronan Power of industry body Solar Ireland. Solar delivered one-third of Ireland\u2019s energy needs during the May heatwave, providing at peak almost the same amount of power as imported gas. <\/p>\n
Two gigawatts were in the system last year \u2013 1GW powers about 500,000 homes. Critically, 8GW is set to be installed by the decade\u2019s end, of which 2GW will be rooftop, provided there is \u201creasonable push through on planning and connecting to the grid\u201d, he adds. <\/p>\n
There is strong growth of utility-scale solar concentrated in\u202fthe midlands, east and south, driven by flat terrain, available grid capacity and high solar irradiation. Some exceed 400 hectares (1,000 acres) in size. <\/p>\n
There are, however, obstacles to roll-out, notably concerns are about delivery, inconsistent application of policy and capacity issues (the responsibility of EirGrid and ESB Networks). The grid is not keeping pace with generated power. Curtailment is all too evident \u2013 wasting \u20ac1.4 million daily on average when the system cannot cater for renewables. Solar Ireland has called for system optimisation to address this, using already available technology. <\/p>\n
Accelerating solar development, however, has prompted opposition in some rural areas with recent protests in east Cork, Galway and Wexford. There are concerns over loss of prime agricultural land, \u201cindustrialisation\u201d of rural landscapes, nature damage and safety fears linked to associated battery storage. <\/p>\n
Power Capital Renewable Energy (PCRE) plan to build a large solar farm in Abbeyknockmoy-Monivea, Co Galway. It has 11 solar farms built and four in construction in Ireland \u2013 600 megawatts (MW) is operational; 400MW in the pipeline. <\/p>\n
PCRE chief executive and co-founder Justin Brown says grid connection is a particular frustration: The timing of getting connected where projects are ready to become operational. They\u2019re sitting there not producing anything. <\/p>\n
He accepts there are resourcing issues and the grid provider is not entirely at fault, but it\u2019s the only scenario he knows where \u201ca contract is more of a promise \u2026 with no penalties\u201d. <\/p>\n
Once operational, he says solar energy is often curtailed due to supply system constraints, inability to cater for high volumes of renewables, or unfairly having to dispatch down because of data centres, another demand site user. <\/p>\n
On opposition in Co Galway, he declined to comment. They have seen opposition to \u201cone or two\u201d projects from \u201ca noisy minority\u201d. His company has to comply with a raft of statutory regulations, including the EU renewable energy directive (RED III). \u201cThere is a process for everybody to follow,\u201d Brown adds, while objectors can pursue a judicial review. <\/p>\n
Abbeyknockmoy & Monivea Against Solar\u202f(Amass) is demanding more transparency on grid connection planning and better consultation. What began as a local response to PCRE\u2019s proposal has broadened into a campaign \u201cfocused on land use, planning transparency, consultation standards, rural governance, and wider implications of large-scale renewable infrastructure in Ireland,\u201d says chairman Brendan Cronin. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany members and supporters strongly back renewable energy, rooftop solar, community-led projects and responsible climate action,\u201d he adds. \u201cOur concern is with how industrial-scale renewable developments are being pursued and implemented in rural Ireland.\u201d <\/p>\n
Amass highlights a lack of a dedicated regulatory framework for utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), particularly on emergency planning, fire response and environmental risk. These systems capture electricity from renewable sources or the grid, storing it in rechargeable batteries for later use. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany residents feel the approach taken [by PCRE] did not build trust, with limited early engagement, changing project details and a process that often felt more procedural than genuinely participatory,\u201d Cronin says. <\/p>\n
Rural communities are increasingly being asked to host large-scale energy infrastructure, he says, while planning systems, consultation processes, land-use policy and regulatory oversight have struggled to keep pace with the scale and speed of development. <\/p>\n
\u201cQuestions around food production, agricultural land use, data-centre-driven electricity demand, BESS regulation, and democratic participation in planning are now national issues, not isolated local disputes,\u201d he adds. <\/p>\n
Cronin says risks from having the equivalent of 19 shipping containers of batteries have not been adequately addressed, while what happens when the solar farm is eventually sold on, as is likely because PCRE is a private equity company, is unclear. <\/p>\n
Ecologist Padraic Fogarty has followed the debate and believes solar is the most benign of renewable energy technologies \u2013 with even less impacts than those associated with wind farms. <\/p>\n
No pollution arises from solar PV, while the absence of moving parts means birds don\u2019t collide with panels. \u201cThere is no evidence of any negative effects,\u201d he adds. Moreover, where they replace livestock on land, it removes a significant source of water and carbon pollution.<\/p>\n
Fogarty says research indicates benefits for wildflowers, birds and wildlife; though \u201cyou still have to be mindful of where you put them\u201d. He is not keen to have solar farms on boglands, given they are special ecosystems. <\/p>\n
The reality, however, is that the vast majority of Irish land is of \u201clow biodiversity value\u201d, says Fogarty. Areas of high nature value are designated areas for protection and clearly mapped. <\/p>\n
As with any development, careful planning is needed, he says, but solar PV is a form of decarbonisation that brings benefits for nature, which is often overlooked. <\/p>\n
Lack of a land use plan for Ireland, however, means there are a lot of competing interests, including the need for a secure and sustainable food production system, he says. It leads to uncertainty and, often, \u201ca free-for-all in the planning system. But I don\u2019t worry about solar, the way I worry about data centres \u2013 even wind farms\u201d. <\/p>\n
Solar power is not about to overwhelm Ireland. When 8GW is reached, \u201cwe will have used 0.1 per cent of land\u201d, says Power of Solar Ireland. On size, he says, 1,000-acre solar farms are not the norm. Because of EirGrid\u2019s transmission system, a typical size is 500-600 acres. <\/p>\n
Lack of planning guidelines and consistency in applying regulations is breeding some opposition, he says. \u201cWhen people are informed, they object less.\u201d <\/p>\n
They have called for a land use policy with guidelines on zoning appropriate to the Government\u2019s climate plan. RED III is designed to accelerate renewable energy deployment, but there is a lack of consistency in applying it. \u201cIn short, a rule book is required on how local authorities will apply this.\u201d <\/p>\n
Power welcomes Government commitment to enhanced grid investment, but the priority should be acceleration of delivery, thereby \u201censuring grid infrastructure, system services and operational measures keep pace with renewable deployment\u201d. <\/p>\n
Critically, \u201cthere are enough [solar] assets in planning\u201d. The onus is on getting them constructed, connected and delivering power in timely fashion \u2013 at present, 400MW is awaiting connection. As key players, EirGrid and ESB Networks \u201cneed to be held accountable for delivering these assets\u201d, he adds. <\/p>\n
Despite fossil fuels\u2019 continuing dominance, renewables technology is expanding rapidly. The plunging cost of solar and large-scale battery storage is a potentially game-changing for electricity generation. By pairing photovoltaic arrays with utility-scale BESS, round-the-clock clean power is no longer theoretical. Solar-plus-storage hybrids outcompete new fossil-fuel alternatives in many regions. <\/p>\n
The trouble with solar and wind plants has been intermittency; no supply when the sun doesn\u2019t shine, or wind doesn\u2019t blow. International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) director-general Francesco La Camera has said this is no longer the case. \u201cThis question of intermittency has been played against renewables for a long time, by lobbyists looking for the eternal life of an energy system based on fossil fuels.\u201d <\/p>\n
In hailing the arrival of \u201c24\/7 renewables\u201d, Irena portrays as obsolete conventional wisdom which holds, despite the emergence of solar and wind power as the cheapest form of energy, that you\u2019ll always need more reliable \u201cbaseload\u201d sources such as gas or nuclear plants as the core of electricity systems. <\/p>\n
Power says the approach in Ireland will be somewhat different, dictated by local circumstances. But co-located renewable power sites with battery storage will bring us close to 100 per cent renewable electricity, he predicts. The right policies on on-site hybrid connection and private wires will leave power-generating assets (including solar) continuing to deliver power at times of lower demand, rather than being turned off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is much recrimination about the latest predictions showing Ireland is making at best modest progress in cutting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530043,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[225674,246,61,60,82],"class_list":["post-530042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-businessireland-specialreport","tag-environment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}