Sunny side up! Meath is biggest producer of solar energy

Meath is leading the way when it comes to solar generated electricity and is by far the biggest producer of solar energy in the country.

Of the 13 solar farms that have been so far connected to the national grid, seven of them are located in Meath. This includes Ballynacarney Solar Farm near Kilbride, which in 2022 was the first solar farm to be energised in the country. It is also the largest solar farm in Ireland with 750,000 solar panels spanning 1,000 acres to power over 40,000 homes.

Last week the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) published its Scale of Solar report which showed there has been a 42.6 per cent increase in Ireland's capacity to generate solar electricity.

The report found that Ireland now has a total solar capacity of 1,185MW with as much as 373MW coming from domestic rooftops. The capacity of 1,185MW is equivalent to the annual power requirement of 280,000 homes and can reduce Ireland’s emissions by 270,000 carbon tonnes.

The report also highlighted generation levels for each county from March to May, from 2023 to 2024 with Meath way ahead followed by Wexford and Cork.

Solar generation in Meath was 105.7GWh for the period from March to May of this year, up from 48.4GWh for the same period last year and more than double that of the next largest producer Wexford on 45GWh. The county with the next largest capacity is Cork which is well behind at 14.1GWh.

The 2024 Scale of Solar report also analysed the sources of how solar reaches the national grid, finding multiple sources from large solar farms to domestic rooftops.

Utility Scale (>5MW), or large solar farms provided 594MW up from 349MW in 2023; mini-generation, typically installed by businesses and farms reached 26MW up from 5MW in 2023; microgeneration, the electricity generated from domestic rooftops provided 373MW, nearly80 per cent increase in just one year (208MW).

Notably, in May 2023, peak solar generation equalled around 10 per cent of demand at one point. This year, that share reached 18.5 per cent in April 2024 and 17.6 per cent in May 2024.

The seven solar farms so far connected in Meath include: Painestown Hill (7.14MW); Harlockstown Solar (31.6MW); Greenfield PV (0.499 MW); Blundlestown (60 MW); Hillstown PV (10 MV); Gillinstown Solar (95 MW); Gallanstown ((Ballyncarney)Solar (119MW).

Eamon Ryan, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications says: “The scale of solar generation already achieved in just two short years shows what can be delivered when society, government and industry work together. We will fully decarbonise our electricity system in the next 10-15 years, with solar being a fundamental predictable part of the electricity system. Ireland has set an ambitious target to have 8GW of solar by 2030 and the findings of this research indicates that we are making big strides towards meeting that target and demonstrates the great progress already made in a short period of time.”

Conall Bolger CEO of ISEA said: “Solar is having a transformative impact on electricity production in Ireland. Just two years after the first solar farm was energised here, there are now 13 on the grid, supplying a capacity of 594MW, with many more under construction or waiting to be connected. One of the largest growth areas is from individual householders investing in rooftop solar panels. The fact that this has reached 373MW is a testament to the Irish people's commitment to climate action. The longest day of the year, with over 17 hours of daylight, will provide over 94,000 homes with the benefits of solar energy. An average of 65 homes joins this solar revolution daily, taking advantage of zerp per cent VAT for solar panels and the ability to sell excess energy back to the grid."