Ireland’s solar rollout shows no sign of slowing down. This week, ESB Networks announced that 1,000MW (equal to one giga watt (GW)) of solar PV generation is now connected to Ireland’s electricity network.

This figure includes 500MW of utility-scale solar connections, 369MW of which is from larger projects connected to the transmission system, managed by EirGrid.

The figure also includes 300MW of microgeneration (mainly domestic rooftop solar) and 200MW of non-exporting solar generation.

1GW of solar power is enough to power the equivalent of approximately 400,000 homes when it is sunny. For context, peak demand on Ireland’s electricity system is approximately 5.5GW.

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan TD said: “Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in Ireland’s journey to 8GW of solar connections by 2030 and shows that even in ‘cloudy Ireland’ we can harness our homegrown green resources to power homes and businesses.”

Milestone

Welcoming the reaching of the milestone, ESB Networks managing director Nicholas Tarrant said: “Enabling the connection of 1,000MW of clean solar power on to Ireland’s electricity network is a significant collective achievement for ESB Networks, our solar industry partners and indeed the 82,000-strong cohort of microgeneration customers across Ireland.

“This scale of connections is underpinned by our sustained investment in a cleaner, more resilient, and more flexible electricity system. It is reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels and ultimately delivering the electricity network for Ireland’s clean, electric future,” he said.

Conall Bolger of the Irish Solar Energy Association said: “There is a strong pipeline of new solar farms currently under development and we must continue to support this momentum to enable Ireland to achieve its goal of 8GW of solar by 2030.”