Renewable energy giant RES plans 500MW of Irish solar projects

The solar farms would cost hundreds of millions of euro to develop and generate enough electricity to potentially power the equivalent of tens of thousands of homes.

It is understood that RES is ramping up its activity in Ireland as it eyes continuing opportunities from the Government’s aim of having 8GW of installed solar capacity by the end of the decade.

Edel Burke, RES project manager, said the solar farms will play a “vital role” in supporting the transition to a net zero carbon economy.

“RES is scaling its solar portfolio to match this ambition and is actively progressing over 500MW of new projects across the country, potentially worth millions to the national economy,” she said. “We continue to work on projects across this portfolio to design sites based on comprehensive landscape, ecological and environmental assessments as well as feedback from communities.”

In 2021, RES sold 240MW of solar projects in Ireland to Power Capital Renewable Energy. That sale included six solar farms in development in various counties including Galway, Kildare, Clare and Waterford. The projects all had planning permission and had secured connections to the grid. Construction of the solar farms was slated to begin in 2022.

Projects that RES currently has underway in Ireland include the 90MW Ballyteige solar farm near Tullamore in Co Offaly, which received planning permission in 2022.

RES is also planning a solar farm in Co Tipperary, at Ballydonagh, and planning for another solar farm is also advanced.

A number of large scale solar energy farms are planned in Ireland.

In January, an Irish subsidiary of Germany’s GP Joule sought permission to construct a 190MW solar farm in Co Meath. It is likely it will cost in the region of €200m to develop.

Earlier this month, a unit of Irish renewables firm Everay Energy filed a planning application for a near €100m solar farm that will generate up to 105MW of electricity.

Last year, the Irish arm of French renewables firm Neoen was refused planning permission by Westmeath County Council for a huge solar energy farm in the county.

Neoen recently started hunting for a buyer for its Irish operations, which include wind and solar farms.

As of last summer, Neoen had eight operational wind farms and three operational solar farms in Ireland.