With the Republic of Ireland finally giving the green light to the country's Renewable Electricity Support Scheme, solar developers that have waited years for their opportunity are gearing up for delivery. Lauren Cook, analyst at Solar Media Market Research, outlines the current state of the Irish market and what kinds of projects are in with a chance of support next year.
What is thought to be the largest solar project purely for self-consumption on the island of Ireland has been brought online to power Dale Farm’s cheddar cheese plant in County Tyrone.
There has been “huge interest” from homeowners seeking to take part in Ireland’s pilot micro-generation grant scheme within the first day according to the scheme’s administrator, which has just 15 installers so far approved to deliver the scheme.
Homeowners in Ireland can now access hundreds of euros in grants to fund the installation of solar and energy storage systems as the government launches its first micro-generation scheme for the technology.
The Irish government has approved the country’s long-awaited Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), with the first auction set to take place in 2019 after state aid approval has been secured from the European Union.
Solar PV cleaning firm Clean Solar Solutions (CSS) has expanded into Ireland, positioning itself for an expected boom in solar installations.
An 110kW solar farm has been completed at Dublin Airport, which will provide the facility with half the annual energy requirements of its reservoir system and help the airport reach its 2020 energy reduction targets.
Irish utility SSE Airtricity has acquired a 40% stake in Activ8 Solar Energies, one of Ireland’s leading rooftop solar installers.
Two large scale solar farms have been granted planning approval by Meath County Council in the Republic of Ireland, including a 35MW solar farm which is set to power the country’s only theme park and nearby crisp factory.
The Irish government will see up to 4.5GW of renewable capacity procured under the Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS), in which solar is set to compete against other renewable generation technologies for government contracts.
Power Capital is investigating both subsidy-backed developments and corporate off taker arrangements after securing €140 million (~£124 million) to develop a portfolio of around 145MW in Ireland.
Ireland is to pilot a domestic microgeneration scheme for solar PV this summer according to climate minister Denis Naughten, opening the potential for funding outside of the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).
Just 300MW of the near 6GW pipeline of large scale solar projects in Ireland are likely to get built, according to John Mullins, chief executive officer of Amarenco.
Battery storage and smart technologies are to be rolled out to homes in the Irish town of Dingle as part of a new trial to test their potential to support the use of variable renewable energy supply resources and smart connection to the Irish electricity grid.
Solar PV recycling service, Recycle Solar Technologies is to expand its service after a £1,000 grant injection from the UK Steel Enterprise (UKSE) Kickstart Fund.
Visitors have just one week left to register before the doors open for this year’s Solar & Storage Live.
Varta Storage is poised to enter the UK and Ireland residential battery markets through a new exclusive deal with Waxman Energy, with global head Gordon Clements telling SPP the UK is “the next market that will start to open up” for the technology.
Electrical contractor Smith Brothers has made a trio of senior appointments across its high voltage and operations departments in an effort to prepare for a period of further growth following the success of the previous year.
Irish solar developers will have to compete with other renewable energy technologies in large-scale auctions under government proposals unveiled yesterday, which also failed to offer concrete plans for support to rooftop solar.
New cost benefit analysis has claimed residential solar offers a win-win for Ireland’s households and its government in advance of the final publication of a consultation on the renewable energy support scheme.
Rooftop solar installations are going ahead in the Republic of Ireland without subsidy, according to Swiss roof mountings manufacturer Schweizer, which has suggested a rooftop tariff may not be needed.
Irish solar will reach grid parity in less than a decade, according to predictions by the country’s transmission system operator, despite having no large scale ground mount solar currently installed.
The UK solar market is beginning to defy difficult conditions as developers emerge with new, post-subsidy models.
The final consultation on the Republic of Ireland’s long-awaited support scheme for renewable energy projects has been confirmed for July as expectations of solar deployment continue to rise.
ESB and Bord na Móna have announced a joint development agreement to deliver solar farms across Ireland, with grid connections already lodged for sites in Roscommon, Offaly and Kildare.
Lark Energy has reshuffled its senior management team in a bid to focus its efforts on delivering subsidy-free solar and other energy projects.
Irish renewables firm Amarenco has partnered with Infracapital, the infrastructure investment arm of Prudential company M&G Investments, to develop utility-scale renewables in the UK, Ireland and France.
BNRG Renewables has partnered with global French renewable energy developer Neoen to develop 23 solar projects in Ireland in a joint venture expected to invest €220m.
As an intriguing year for UK solar concludes, Solar Power Portal looks back at some of the most interesting, popular and important news stories of the last 12 months. Today, we look at November and December.
Following a year in which much progress has been made, Lauren Cook recaps a productive 2016 for the Irish solar market and casts her eyes forward at 2017.