New research published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) reveals a strong level of support for the development of new wind and solar farms in Ireland.

The study surveyed over 1,700 households, focusing on residents living in close proximity to 50 new commercial wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects across rural Ireland in 2022.

According to the SEAI study, 67% of respondents expressed positive or very positive views towards wind energy. Of those living within a kilometre of a Renewable Electricity Support Scheme 1 (RESS1) wind project, 73% maintained favourable attitudes towards wind energy.

The survey also revealed that 59% of respondents believed Ireland currently does not have enough wind farms.

Solar farms

Some 81% of participants expressed positive or very positive views towards solar PV farms, with few respondents expressing negative opinions.

According to the study results, this positive sentiment remained consistent regardless of whether respondents lived near a solar project or not.

The survey indicated that 78% of respondents felt that Ireland should increase the number of solar PV farms. Interestingly, none of the respondents reported having a direct view of a solar PV farm from their property.

The study results did not provide information about the inclusion of farmers in the survey sample, however.

Community benefits

The study shed light on public sentiments regarding government policies that secure financial benefits for households and communities located near renewable energy projects through "Community Benefit Funds."

The majority of residents living in rural areas expressed their support for such policies, emphasising the importance of local involvement and community engagement in the planning process.

However, respondents also expressed concerns about the planning process and called for more community engagement and the careful locating of projects.

Renewable electricity capacity

Ireland currently has 5GW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the national grid and 2022 saw a record year for new wind and solar energy connections.

At peak time, Ireland requires about 5.5GW of energy and renewables and a significant proportion of that is provided by renewable power.

In the first quarter of 2023, for example, 34% of Ireland’s electricity came from wind, and while solar continues to increase, on a sunny day earlier in May, 10% of the country’s energy was produced by solar power.