In the last three years, solar farms covering 6,575ac (2,660ha) of mostly farmland across the country have received planning permission.

In 2019 alone, just over 3,000ac (1,214ha) of land was sought and approved for solar farm development.

Biggest solar farms

Last year permission was granted for four of the biggest solar farms in the country, with a combined acreage of 1,213ac (490ha).

These were located in Wexford (152.8ha and 89.46ha), Meath (150.29ha) and Kerry (99.2ha).

Highfield Solar Ltd is to build the two in Wexford and Terra Solar Ltd is to build the one in Kerry.

Raymond Coyle, founder of Largo Foods which manufactures Tayto, and farmer Michael McDermott are seeking to build the one in Meath.

County breakdown

Wexford is the county with the most granted planning permissions for solar farms in the last three years.

Some 1,682ac (681ha) has been given the green light in the Model County in the last three years.

Aside from a handful of sites, virtually no sites are being sought for solar development in Connacht and Ulster

Cork is also a favoured location for solar farm developments, with 907ac (367.21ha) granted planning in the last three years.

Aside from a handful of sites, virtually no sites are being sought for solar development in Connacht and Ulster.

Just 254.13ha (627ac) of solar farms were refused planning permission in the last three years.

Hold-up in building solar farms

Despite the number of solar farms granted permission, none have gotten off the ground in terms of construction.

Pat Smith, chair of the Micro Renewable Energy Federation, told the Irish Farmers Journal the hold-up in solar farms being built was mainly as a result of the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) being delayed.

The first auction under the RESS is due to take place in the first half of 2020 and 10% of that capacity is to be allocated to solar PV specifically.

Smith said once the auction is up and running and solar photovoltaic (PV) development projects are successful in accessing it, then construction of solar farms will begin before the end of 2020.

As things stand the larger projects, 100ac+, are more likely to win out in the initial auctions

He added that the auction process is a competitive bid process and there will be a lot of factors at play such as project size, cost of grid connection and location.

“As things stand the larger projects, 100ac+, are more likely to win out in the initial auctions and some of the smaller projects unfortunately will not be able to compete for the present at least.

“The real opportunity for Irish farmers and rural Ireland is a viable rooftop solar PV tariff and priority grid access to allow thousands of farmers sell energy to the grid similar to what has happened in most other European countries,” he said.

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