Tirlán switches on its new solar farm

Tirlán switched on its new 8 MW on-site solar farm at its integrated dairy processing facility in Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny.

The 16ac solar farm is expected to generate approximately 7.6 GWh of clean, renewable electricity annually, meeting around 34% of the site’s imported electricity demand.

The Ballyragget processing facility is one of the largest multi-purpose integrated dairy plants in Europe, employing more than 360 people.

The ground-mounted system is behind the meter, meaning all electricity produced is consumed directly on site at the Ballyragget facility.

Carbon

Over its expected 25-year lifespan, the solar installation will offset close to 50,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. The Ballyragget solar farm was delivered in partnership with ESB’s Smart Energy Services.

Lisa Koep, chief ESG officer, Tirlán, said the project demonstrates how large-scale renewable solutions can be integrated into energy-intensive manufacturing environments.

“This investment builds on the success of our FarmGen rooftop solar programme and complements wider initiatives to reduce emissions across our facilities and supply base. As a farmer owned co operative, collaboration and long term thinking are central to how we address climate challenges,” she said.