Rising standards: Ireland’s solar energy evolution

The sun has a profound influence on our planet, as it drives our weather, ocean currents, seasons, climate and nature. Now, it also drives our electricity sector, writes Dr Eva Barrett, Head of Policy at the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA).

According to Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2023, 6% of global electricity will be supplied by solar this year, with installed solar capacity doubling almost every three years. The growth of the Irish solar sector is equally impressive, nearly doubling in size within a single year. In April 2022, the first Irish solar farm connected to the grid in Millvale, Co Wicklow. Today, approximately 1,185MW of solar is connected to the grid, with further accelerated growth anticipated, largely facilitated by an increasingly supportive legal and policy framework.

The Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) has also grown during this period. With around 160 members – including financiers, planners, engineers, developers, installers, manufacturers, consultants, and Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) service providers –ISEA is now the recognised voice of the solar sector. With a mandate to work with the Government, system operators and regulators to remove barriers to solar development, ISEA has seen and advocated for many positive developments in recent years.

Rooftop solar sector

Ireland’s solar sector consists primarily of rooftop and utility-scale solar projects.

Dr Eva Barrett, Head of Policy at the Irish Solar Energy Association, brings over 15 years experience in energy, planning and environmnental law, policy and regulation. With a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and a background as a lecturer and practising lawyer at leading Irish law firms, she has shaped environmental standards and European regulatory frameworks.

Dr Barrett is dedicated to advancing Ireland’s solar energy agenda, focusing on cost efficiency, capacity expansion and environmental sustainability.

The rooftop solar sector really took off after 2021 when the Government set a target to connect between 1.5GW and 2.5GW of solar by 2030. Subsequent changes in the planning rules created exemptions for rooftop installations, and the modernisation grants offered to farmers were extended to allow for solar rooftop installations. Additionally, a zero VAT rate was announced for domestic solar supply and installation.

Utility scale solar

By 2021, utility-scale solar was already on an upward trajectory. It benefited from a stand-alone preference category for solar in the first Government-backed Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction in 2020. This was the first of Ireland’s annual RESS auctions, which are set to continue until 2025 and beyond. RESS 1 created especially-favourable rates for solar, allowing solar projects to compete on a like-for-like basis and be granted a guaranteed price for renewable electricity generated over a 15-year spell.

Solar sector growth

In 2023, when it became clear that the 1.5-2.5GW solar target would be easily surpassed, ISEA advocated for more ambitious targets. The Government listened and, in 2023, a new target was set to connect 8GW of solar by 2030. This headline objective is supported by a variety of policies and laws designed to foster solar development across all categories, from domestic and commercial rooftop installations to utility-scale solar. These include:

• Small Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS): Offering grants and a fixed electricity price to renewable energy communities, small and medium enterprises, farmers, and those generating their own electricity for 15 years;

• Solar for Schools Programme: Providing eligible schools with up to 16 solar panels to generate their own power and reduce electricity bills;

• Microgeneration Support Scheme: Offering homeowners, businesses, public organisations and community groups grants to reduce the upfront cost of solar installation, along with a guaranteed price for any excess electricity generated and sold back to the grid.

Barriers to solar development

The Irish solar sector is growing fast within a framework that was not originally designed with solar in mind. Barriers to solar development remain in key areas such as planning, grid development and utilisation, and also routes to market. While much has changed, and there have been many policy wins, there is still much to do to update the existing framework to smoothly incorporate solar into the energy mix. This drive to develop a “solar supportive” framework is at the core of what ISEA does through:

•Promotion of best practices;

•Dynamic constructive engagement with decision-makers;

•Comprehensive public education.

Promotion of best practices

Promoting best practices in the solar sector is an area 0f which ISEA is particularly proud. In 2023, ISEA collaborated with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Government, planning authorities, consultants, state bodies and regulators to develop Best Practice Guidance for Large Scale Solar Energy Development. This guidance underwent extensive consultations, with feedback incorporated into the final document which was officially unveiled at the ISEA Annual Conference in October 2023.

More recently, ISEA established a Solar Standards Working Group, led by Kieran Larkin (Head of Domestic Sales at SolarElectric). This working group aims to support regulators such as the SEAI, the Health and Safety Authority and the CRU in establishing the highest possible standards for rooftop installations. It also seeks to work with these regulators to educate the public on key questions to ask installers, available grants and supports, and practical tips. The working group has provided input to the SEAI for updating the Homeowners Guide to Solar PV to include a health and safety section, and is currently assisting with the review of the SEAI’s Code of Practice for Domestic Solar PV Installers.

All these efforts will be at the heart of ISEA’s flagship event, the “Solar Ireland 2024: Road to 2030” conference, which serves as a crucial roadmap for the industry. Key topics to be explored include the businesses, the economy and the energy transition; rooftop standards co-hosted with WISE(IR); and future technology in solar among others. Join ISEA at the RDS in Dublin on 1 October 2024 (see https://www. irishsolarenergy.org/events).

Stay tuned for the next article in this series and join the ISEA in shaping a brighter, greener future with solar energy