11.8.4 Current Status of Solar Development in the County
11.8.4 Current status of Solar development in the County
The use of domestic solar panels for the generation of heat for hot water and for the generation of electricity is widespread throughout the County. Several grant schemes exist to assist with the rollout of more domestic solar generation.
Under the Climate Action Plan 2019, the ESB networks have a requirement to transpose the EU 2019/944 Regulations. The EU regulations require that the export of PV from domestic and commercial microgeneration is permissible.
County Kilkenny currently has 13 approved solar farm developments, each potentially providing 4 to 5 MW of power, which, in combination, potentially provides between 50 and 75 MW of power, depending on efficiency.
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Table 11.7 Solar farms granted in Kilkenny |
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Applicant |
Townland |
Output MW |
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1.Elgin Energy Services Ltd. |
Kiltorcan and Ballyhale |
4.2 |
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2.Elgin Energy Services Ltd |
Grange Lower, Goresbridge |
4 |
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3.Wexford Solar Ltd |
Curraghmartin, Carrigeen |
4 |
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4.Highfield |
Derrynahinch, Knocktopher |
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5.Highfield |
Derrynahinch, Kiltorcan |
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6.Solar Sense |
Ballyhale and Kiltorcan |
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7.Power Capital Renewable Energy |
Grange Lower, Goresbridge |
5 |
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8.Power Capital Renewable Energy |
Loan Castlecomer |
5 |
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9.Elgin Energy Services Ltd |
Keatingstown |
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10.Pascal and Niall Drennan |
Parksgrove Ballyragget |
50,000m2 of solar panels |
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11.Art Generation |
Ballytobin and Ballyhall, Callan |
5 |
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12.Elgin Energy Services Ltd |
Ballyconra, Ballyragget |
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13.ENGIE Developments (Ireland) Limited |
Farranmacedmond, Aglish |
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Industrial scale solar generation is also widespread throughout the County. A good example of such rollout is O’Shea farms, located just outside Piltown, who have placed extensive solar arrays on the roofs of their agricultural sheds for electricity generation, yielding 208,000 kWh p/a, extensively cutting electricity demand from the grid.