Solar energy companies want the government to mandate the granting of planning consents for solar farms for 40 years – considerably longer than the 25 years typically allowed.
They also want the law changed to allow them the option of laying private wires to supply power directly to customers instead of feeding into the national grid.
The changes are among a wish list of actions that industry body, the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA), is calling for as the urgency to increase the production of renewable energy intensifies.
Research carried out for the ISEA makes the case for solar projects to be given priority over wind projects in the next round of auctions for contracts to supply electricity.
The next Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction, RESS-3, is due later this year and will consider bids from onshore wind and solar projects.
Research by consultants, AFRY, found the auctions give too much weight to price considerations and do not take full account of the benefits offered by solar over wind.
“Solar runs in the middle of the day so its superpower – which is also its limitation – is that you know when it’s going to generate and roughly how much it’s going to generate so it gives certainty,” said ISEA chief executive Conall Bolger.
Wind had an advantage at night but it also tended to oversupply at night, leading to curtailment – turbines being ordered to stop generating – which was inefficient, he said.
Prices on the electricity market also tended to be higher during the day when demand for power was higher so it made more sense to have as much solar as possible available for day-time use.
“Also, in the day-time when demand is higher is when you have more inefficient, dirtier, fossil fuel-intensive plant running.
“So if you dial up the solar, you get more of an emissions bang for your buck. That’s really important when you think of what we’re trying to do – which is decarbonise as quickly as possible.”
The Department of Environment ran a public consultation on the design of RESS-3 until mid-December and has not yet finalised the criteria for assessing projects.
The ISEA is also calling on EirGrid and ESB Networks to rapidly accelerate the speed installation of the grid infrastructure – cables and substations – needed to connect new solar projects.