Homeowners in Ireland can now access hundreds of euros in grants to fund the installation of solar and energy storage systems as the government launches its first micro-generation scheme for the technology.
The Irish government has approved the country’s long-awaited Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), with the first auction set to take place in 2019 after state aid approval has been secured from the European Union.
An 110kW solar farm has been completed at Dublin Airport, which will provide the facility with half the annual energy requirements of its reservoir system and help the airport reach its 2020 energy reduction targets.
Two large scale solar farms have been granted planning approval by Meath County Council in the Republic of Ireland, including a 35MW solar farm which is set to power the country’s only theme park and nearby crisp factory.
The Irish government will see up to 4.5GW of renewable capacity procured under the Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS), in which solar is set to compete against other renewable generation technologies for government contracts.
Power Capital is investigating both subsidy-backed developments and corporate off taker arrangements after securing €140 million (~£124 million) to develop a portfolio of around 145MW in Ireland.
Ireland is to pilot a domestic microgeneration scheme for solar PV this summer according to climate minister Denis Naughten, opening the potential for funding outside of the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).
Just 300MW of the near 6GW pipeline of large scale solar projects in Ireland are likely to get built, according to John Mullins, chief executive officer of Amarenco.
