Ireland’s first large-scale solar farm has connected to the grid

This is the first step for the country’s planned growth in the photovoltaic sector

Last week, Ireland’s Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, formally inaugurated the country’s first large scale solar farm. The site is located near Ashford in County Wicklow and it hosts more than 30,000 solar panels, which will directly connect to the electricity grid.

This project represents a significant departure from Ireland’s previous renewable energy strategy, which focused heavily on on-shore wind turbines, marking the Millvale solar farm as the first of its kind for the Republic.

Despite the project being developed and operated by the French company Neoen, the solar farm was financed through the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) and, according to a government statement, it will be the first of many.

The RESS envisions boosting solar energy production by around 600 megawatts, with the Millvale site counting towards Ireland’s target of achieving 80% renewable energy by 2030.

Diversifying the renewables sector

One of the big aims of the RESS is to diversify the renewable energy sector. According to a press release, Minister Ryan said that it is one of the primary policies in Ireland for climate adaptation and sustainability while addressing the challenges of climate change.

Another important part of the projects supported by the RESS is the fact that they create green jobs and grow the country’s sustainable economy. At the same time, Minister Ryan explained that historically, Ireland has relied on wind energy, however, with solar as a growing market, the government opted to support technology diversity.

The Millvale solar farm occupies 25 hectares of land and hosts 33,600 photovoltaic modules. According to a statement by Neoen, this means that it can power around 3,600 homes every year and avoid 4,800 tons of CO2.