The Republic of Ireland is a growing market focused on large-scale solar, feeling the benefits of an effective support scheme, writes Solar Media Market Research analyst Josh Cornes.
Over 400MW of utility-scale ground mounted solar was added in 2024, taking the total for operational capacity in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to over 1GW.
Ireland continues to see a strong focus on large-scale solar, with four projects over 130MW operational. Lysaghtstown Solar Farm (131MWp), developed by Power Capital, is the latest to be completed. Two more projects over 80MWp also went operational, meaning at the end of 2024 there were seven operational solar farms in Ireland larger than the largest one in the UK.
Figure 1 highlights the push for large-scale projects in Ireland over the last three years.
Ireland is on track for its most successful year yet in 2025, with a forecasted year-on-year (YoY) increase of over 100%. This growth is primarily driven by the 800MW currently under construction, with additional capacity expected as Power Capital secures financial close on a further 300MWp portfolio. The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) continues to play a pivotal role in incentivising developers, with nearly all the capacity under construction having previously received a RESS contract in either round 2, 3 or 4.
Looking into the pipeline, there are close to 10GW of approved projects across 400 sites with 24 of these greater than 100MW. There’s a further 1.2GW worth of projects in planning awaiting decision, six of which are over 100MW, continuing to highlight the push for large scale, and a testament to their streamlined planning process.
The ROI market continues to grow, with the focus on large-scale projects and higher returns on investment ahead of the 8GW goal by 2030.
All the data shown above is taken from Solar Media Market Research’s analysis, which can be accessed here. To book a demo and access the data please email [email protected].
