There are around 385 solar farm projects in development across the country which could potentially be delivered this decade, according to the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA).

If all were developed, it would add a further 9.5 GW in solar energy to the grid, surpassing our 2030 target of 8 GW, potentially delivering €2.7bn investment to Ireland.

Leinster is set to see the largest number of solar projects, with 201 planned solar farms delivering 1.6 GW. Around 27% of these will be located in Meath, which will remain the solar capital of Ireland. A further 151 projects are planned for Munster, with 27 planned for Connacht and 12 in Ulster.

The figures were contained in a new KPMG report commissioned by the ISEA. According to the report, there is currently 1.4 GW of solar capacity installed across Ireland from solar farms, rooftop solar and industry, equivalent to the annual power used by over 300,000 homes.

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The prospect of there being days where solar is Ireland’s main electricity source in Ireland is now a realistic one, according to ISEA CEO Conall Bolger.

The ISEA annual conference took place this week in Dublin, attended by many from the solar farm industry who heard that solar is the fastest growing source of renewable energy across Ireland. Two key recurring themes of the day were the challenges of planning and grid capacity.

However, solar farm planning applications have been relatively successful, with nine out of 10 solar farm planning applications securing permission, according to Bolger.

The conference was opened by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who said that if in power, her party would be a partner for the solar and renewables industry.

She promised to establish a €750m renewable energy investment fund, multiple regional renewable hubs and introduce tiered grants for rooftop solar PV systems, ranging from 10% to 100% depending on household income.