Ireland allocates almost 960 MW of solar in fourth renewables auction

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The provisional results of the fourth Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction (RESS 4) in Ireland indicate that 23 solar farms will be awarded contracts, according to Irish grid operator Eirgrid.

If successful, these solar farms will deliver a combined 959.85 MW in electricity capacity to the Irish grid. This is the fourth auction that saw solar receive the lion’s share in allocations compared to onshore wind projects. Furthermore, the volume provisionally awarded to solar projects in this auction was almost double the 497 MW awarded in the previous auction, RESS 3, which was finalized in September 2023.

The Irish authorities also allocated 373.8 MW of wind power capacity in the procurement exercise. Eirgrid also reported that 503.9 MW of solar bids were unsuccessful under RESS 4.

The auction final average price came in at €0.09685/kWh, which is 4% less than in the previous round. The final average prices for the PV and wind technology were €0.10476/kWh and €0.09047/kWh, respectively.

“Ireland remains one of the most expensive countries to build and operate solar farms,” the CEO of the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA), Conall Bolger, told pv magazine. “It’s good news that we collectively have reduced the cost, but there is an opportunity to improve again, particularly in the area of how we charge people for connecting to and using the electricity system.”

Bolger said each additional megawatt of renewable capacity is a win in the fight against climate change. He claimed that the auction results provide a solid opportunity to meet the government’s solar targets and suggested that the PV sector might be making significant progress.

Bolger also stressed the need to examine the reasons behind these results.

“Whether successful or not, these projects represent years of hard work and dedication by the companies and their advisers,” he said. “We need to understand what drove these outcomes to maximize the volumes awarded in future auctions.”

The ISEA has already highlighted the issue of failure rates following last year’s auction.

This year's auction was held by Ireland's electricity operator EirGrid on Aug. 28. The submission window for bidders closed at noon on the same day. It opened on Aug. 22. The final results for RESS 4 will be announced on Sept. 25. The successful projects will receive support for approximately 15 years as per RESS terms and conditions.

In total, across the first four auctions, solar has been awarded 3,788 MW, representing 68% of the national 2030 solar farm target.

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