Ireland’s first renewables auction
Clean energy developers have three days left to pre-qualify for the first procurement exercise staged by the Irish Renewable Electricity Support Scheme. Solar will compete with wind – on and offshore – and biomass projects.
Ireland set for a 500 MW, five-year solar pipeline
Danish developer Obton and Ireland’s Shannon Energy have promised to develop the projects within five years. Total investment is expected to be around €300 million and the companies have already acquired projects with a combined generation capacity of 150 MW.
Ireland launches auction scheme for renewables
Solar is included among the competing sources but with a maximum quota of only 10%. Around 13,500 GWh will be allocated across five rounds under the new scheme, which is still subject to EU state aid approval. Community-led projects will be allowed to participate from the second round, with a bonus of €2/MWh.
Statkraft buys 326 MW of solar projects in Ireland
The Norwegian power company acquired the projects for around $17.3 million. The transaction indicates interest in large scale solar is on the rise in Ireland and unsubsidized projects are viable.
Ireland allocates 110 MW in large scale storage auction
Originally intended to commission 140 MW of storage, the tender drew three winning projects: a 50 MW system and two 30 MW facilities. Eirgrid has estimated the total value of the contracts at around €6 million per year.
The tide is changing for ground-mounted PV in Ireland
Ireland appears ready to embrace PV after years of failed announcements. Globaldata predicts the EU member state will deploy around 1.3 GW of solar by 2030, with renewables potentially meeting 65% of electricity demand. Furthermore, Irish Water has announced it wants to deploy solar at its water treatment plants.
Bord na Móna seeks EPC contractor for 90 MW PV project in Ireland
The wind power specialist has started prequalifying EPCs for the ground-mounted solar plant, which will be built near Timahoe North, County Kildare.
Ireland launches long-expected scheme for PV microgeneration
The program will be be grant aided, and will provide funds mainly for self-consumption projects. At a later stage, the scheme may also offer incentives for home battery storage.
Irish wind specialist SSE Airtricity expands into solar
The Irish renewable energy supplier, which is already active in the residential and commercial solar business, has agreed to acquire a 40% stake in rooftop PV installer, Activ8 Solar Energies.
Elgin Energy seeks permission to build 25 MW solar farm in Kilkenny, Ireland
Continued tumbling cost of solar prompts Elgin Energy to apply for planning permission to build a large-scale solar farm on a 100-acre site in Kilkenny, Ireland.
