Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Comhairleoirí Comhshaoil
Environmental and Planning Consultants
Submission)to)the)Department)of)
Communications,)Energy)and)Natural)Resources)
)
)
)
P HOTOVOLTAIC) S OLAR) E NERGY)AS)AN) A PPROPRIATE)
T ECHNOLOGY)FOR)THE) S UPPLY)OF) E LECTRICITY)FROM)
A) C ONTINUOUSLY) R ENEWABLE) R ESOURCE )
18)September)2015)
18#September#2015#
#
#
Decarbonisation#Division,##
Department#of#Communications,#Energy#and#Natural#Resources,##
29B31#Adelaide#Road,##
Dublin#2.#
By#email#to:#ress@dcenr.gov.ie#
#
#
Dear#Sir,#
#
Submission)to)the)Department)of)Communications,)Energy)and)Natural)Resources)on)
Solar)Energy)as)an)Appropriate)Technology)for)the)Supply)of)Electricity)from)a)
Continuously)Renewable)Resource)
#
In# response# to# the# Department’s# Renewable# Electricity# Support# Scheme# Technology#
Review#Consultation,#2015,#Environmental#Management#Services#welcomes#this#public#
consultation,#and#we#are#pleased#to#have#the#opportunity#of#making#a#submission.#
#
The#primary#purpose#of#our#submission#is#to#demonstrate#that#renewable#generation#
of# electricity# by# solar# PV# has# the# appropriate# characteristics# to# make# a# major#
contribution# to# Ireland’s# transition# from# a# largely# fossil# fuel# based# economy# to# one#
based#on#renewable#energy,#to#improve#energy#security,#and#to#assist#in#meeting#the#
targets#and#challenges#identified#in#the#Department’s#consultation#document.###
#
We# also# hope# that# the# Department# will# take# appropriate# steps# to# ensure# that# the#
advantages# of# solar# photovoltaic# electricity# are# widely# and# fully# understood# and#
appreciated,# and# that# this# technology# will# take# its# place# among# other# sources# of#
renewable# energy# in# Ireland.# # In# order# to# achieve# this# aim,# we# believe# that# DCENR#
should#embark#on#a#proactive#public#awareness#campaign#to#clearly#demonstrate#the#
benefits#of#solar#PV#energy.#
#
Lastly,#and#of#the#greatest#importance,#we)urge#the#Department#of#Communications,#
Energy# and# Natural# Resources# to# expedite# the# introduction# and# implementation# of# a#
competitive# solar# PV# Renewable# Energy# FeedBin# Tariff# (REFIT),# so# as# to# benefit# smallB
scale,# mediumBscale# and# largeBscale# producers.# # We# believe# that# this# is# essential# to#
make# solar# PV# electricity# more# competitive,# would# help# to# increase# the# amount# of#
1
Submission by Environmental Management Services to the
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
solar# PV# installed,# and# would# generate# more# examples# to# further# demonstrate# the#
technology’s#financial,#social#and#environmental#advantages.##
#
We#consider#that#the#difference#in#policy#and#practice#between#the#Republic#of#Ireland#
and# Northern# Ireland# in# relation# to# the# availability# of# a# feedBin# tariff# constitutes# a#
distortion#of#the#market#for#solar#PV,#and#it#is#hard#to#understand#the#reason#for#this,#
given# that# a# single# electricity# market# has# operated# since# 2007,# with# wholesale#
electricity#prices#being#determined#on#an#AllBIreland#basis.##We#would#therefore#urge#
DCENR#to#level#this#“playing#field”,#so#that#a#similar#business#case#could#be#made#for#
investment#in#solar#PV#on#either#side#of#the#border.#
#
An# electronic# copy# of# our# submission# is# attached,# and# we# trust# that# DCENR# will#
consider#the#above#brief#points#in#this#covering#letter#as#part#of#our#overall#submission;#
and#we#look#forward#to#the#Energy#Policy#White#Paper#in#due#course.#
#
Yours#sincerely,#
#
Jack#O’Sullivan#
2
Environmental Management Services
Comhairleoirí Comhshaoil
Environmental and Planning Consultants
CONTENTS
Page
1. Introduction .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1
2. The background to solar photovoltaic energy .. .. .. .. 4
3. Availability of solar irradiation in Ireland .. .. .. .. .. 6
4. Increasing efficiency and declining costs of Solar PV .. .. .. 10
5. Planning and development control issues .. .. .. .. .. 14
6. Solar energy installations, biodiversity and agriculture .. .. .. 15
7. The case for financially supporting solar PV electricity .. .. .. 16
8. Public perception, awareness raising and acceptability .. .. .. 18
9. Conclusions and recommendations .. .. .. .. .. .. 19
Figures
ISI-086 Contents pages of Submission to DCENR on Solar Renewable Energy, Rev B, 18-Sep-15.doc
(i)
Environmental Management Services
Comhairleoirí Comhshaoil
Environmental and Planning Consultants
18 September 2015
1. I NTRODUCTION
In July 2015, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
issued a consultation document1 for the purpose of seeking views on the available
technologies for the generation of electricity from renewable resources, the cost-
effectiveness of these technologies, and the level of Government financial and
other support required to ensure an adequate and appropriate level of uptake.
1
Renewable Electricity Support Scheme -- Technology Review Consultation. Department of
Submission by Environmental Management Services to the
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
The Strategy failed to mention solar photovoltaic, and placed great emphasis on
the utilisation of wind power.
2
Strategy for Renewable Energy: 2012 – 2020. Department of Communications, Energy and
Natural Resources.
3
European Commission, 2014. Communication from the Commission to the European
Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of
the Regions: A Policy Framework for Climate and Energy in the Period from 2020 to 2030.
COM(2014) 15 final; Brussels, 22.1.2014.
4
European Council Conclusions, Brussels, 24 October 2014; EUCO 169/14 (Note from the
General Secretariat of the Council, to Delegations).
the EU in 2030; this target will be binding at EU level, and must be fulfilled
through Member States contributions guided by the need to deliver
collectively the EU target without preventing Member States from setting
their own more ambitious national targets; and,
iii) an indicative target of at least 27% increase in energy efficiency by 2030.
Looking to the very near future, EU environment ministers will meet in Brussels on
Friday 18 September, after which they are expected to announce that the EU will
press for targets of a global 60% emissions cut by 2050, and 100% emissions
reduction by 2100, despite the initial objections of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech
Republic. Agreement among Member States is needed to ensure that EU
negotiators can push for a strong international framework to limit global warming to
no more than two degrees higher than pre-industrial levels. The proposed
emission cuts will have to be soundly based and defended, in order to increase the
probability of securing a legally binding cap on global warming at the United
Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris in November.
It is therefore clear that not only are the agreed emission reduction targets quite
challenging, but that more serious challenges lie ahead in order to reduce and
eventually eliminate dependency on fossil fuels as our principal source of energy.
These critical issues are clearly recognised by the Minister for Communications,
Energy and Natural Resources, Mr Alex White, T.D., in his address to the
conference on Ireland’s Energy Transition, at Dublin Castle,6 on 03 June 2015,
when he stated that:
5
Renewable Electricity Support Scheme -- Technology Review Consultation; Introduction,
paragraphs 1.2 and 1.3. Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, July
2015.
6
http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/news-and-media/en-ie/Pages/Speech/Alex-White-Minister-for-
Communications-Energy-and-Natural-Resources-Irelands-Energy-Transition.aspx
Our vision here must be equally clear and equally ambitious. We must
and we will transform Ireland’s energy production and consumption
patterns so that, by 2050, our system will be largely decarbonised.
This vision comes with a pledge to all our citizens, our communities,
industry, and those who work to provide energy to our homes and
workplaces that policy will ensure certainty, stability and affordability,
as we make the transition to a low carbon future”.
first solar cells were manufactured, and the levelised cost7 of electricity from PV is
now competitive with conventional electricity sources in an expanding list of
geographic regions. Net metering and financial incentives, such as preferential
feed-in tariffs for solar-generated electricity, have supported solar PV installations
in many countries. With current technology, photovoltaic systems recoup the
energy needed to manufacture them in 1.5 to 2.5 years in Southern and Northern
Europe, respectively.
Mass production has been the principal key to reducing costs and gaining
competitiveness; historically, PV was an expansive technology, partly because, for
a long time, its key market was extremely small and restricted to applications in
space where the main criterion is weight rather than cost. Intervention by
governments has been indispensable in providing the necessary impetus to get out
of the vicious circle of “no market – no mass production – no market”.
Government financial support was first tried in Germany and Japan for what were
described as “PV roof programmes”; with the first such programme being initiated
in Bonn by the German Research Ministry; it financed 2,200 PV roofs, beginning in
1989. From 1994, a similar programme was conducted by the Japanese. A new
German 100,000 PV Roof Programme ran from 2000 until 2003; it was actually a
300-MW PV programme that included a “zero interest rate credit” and a 12.5%
subsidy. The purpose of the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) subsequently applied was to
strengthen the 100,000 PV Roof Programme and enhance its productivity.
Solar PV is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable
energy source in terms of globally installed capacity, with more than 100 countries
using solar PV. Installations may be ground-mounted (and sometimes integrated
with farming and grazing) or built into the roof or walls of a building (either building-
integrated photovoltaics or simply rooftop).
7
The levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) is a measure which attempts to compare different
methods of electricity generation on a comparable basis. It comprises an economic assessment
of the average total cost to build and operate a power-generating asset over its lifetime divided
by the total power output of the asset over that lifetime. The LCOE can also be regarded as the
cost at which electricity must be generated in order to break-even over the lifetime of the
generating plant or installation.
As far back as 1975, in the aftermath of the large increase in oil prices during 1973
and 1974, the National Science Council undertook a number of research projects
on renewable energy sources, one of which examined solar energy. The project
report, written by Eamon Lalor 9 , concluded that the amount of available solar
energy in Ireland was, on a per-head-of-population basis, the same as in France.
A surprising conclusion perhaps, but the author of this submission remembers
clearly the results obtained by Eamon Lawlor, and the unfortunate fact that when
oil prices stabilised, the research project was terminated, and the proposed
research programme was never carried out.
More recently, a report by IBM and the City of Dublin Energy Management Agency
(CODEMA) pointed out that “the amount of daylight, or the solar irradiance, Dublin
receives is approximately the same as that received in Leipzig, Germany, home of
one of the world’s largest solar electricity plants, Waldpolenz Solar Park.”10 The
report also concluded that “Solar PV energy is a viable power strategy due to its
scalability, its easy deployment and the abundant availability of solar radiation.”
The map in Figure 3.1 shows the photovoltaic solar electricity potential in Europe,
and it is clear that Ireland is not particularly disadvantaged; in fact the amount of
solar irradiation (measured in kWh/m2) falling on Ireland is only slightly lower than
in France, and very close to that in Germany. The south-east of the country gets
more sun than the west and north-west, but the map surprisingly shows the
extreme north of the country to be the least favoured.
The submission by the Irish Solar Energy Association to the public consultation on
the Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland, to which we have referred above,
also includes a map of solar irradiation across Ireland and Britain, which gives a
more detailed view of the different levels of solar energy available, confirming the
similarity between most of Ireland and the central and south-eastern areas of
England (see Figure 3.2 below).
8
Submission by the Irish Solar Energy Association to the Consultation on the Green Paper on
Energy Policy in Ireland, 31 July 2014. Available from http://irishsolarenergy.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/ISEA-Green-Paper-on-Energy-Policy-in-Ireland.pdf
9
Lalor, Eamon, 1975. Solar Energy for Ireland: a Preliminary Analysis of the Basic Data with
Tentative Proposals for a Programme of Research and Development : Report to the National
Science Council. Dublin : National Science Council; Government Publications Sale Office, 1975.
10
Dublin – Smarter Cities Challenge Report. IBM Corporation, 2015.
2
Figure 3.1 Annual amounts of solar irradiation across Europe, measured in kWh/m , on
optimally inclined south-oriented photovoltaic modules (left-hand scale) and
the annual amounts of solar electricity generated by optimally inclined 1kW
systems with a performance rating of 0.75.
This map shows that nearly all of Munster and the southern half of Leinster have
better levels of solar irradiation than the northern and north-western parts of the
country. Despite these differences, the ISEA report observes that in the North of
Ireland, the feasibility of solar power has been demonstrated by the fact that the
first planning permission for a large utility-scale solar farm in Ireland was granted in
Bishopscourt, County Down in early 2014. The reasons for this will become clear
when we examine the different levels of support given to solar power installations
by the two jurisdictions in Ireland.
energy equivalent of 2,500 litres of oil per day, or enough energy to power a 60W
light bulb continuously for 46 years!
Paul Dykes, in the same presentation, shows that Ireland has only 6% less solar
irradiation per unit area than Germany, but while Germany has 44% of the market
share of solar energy, Ireland has less than 5% (see Figure 3.3 below). The stark
contrast between the two countries forces us to ask why Ireland is lagging so far
behind in the utilisation of solar energy, and it should become clear that the
principal reason is the lack of Government support for PV technology in Ireland.
Figure 3.3 Comparison between amounts of solar irradiation falling on Spain, Germany
and Ireland: Spain receives 26% more solar energy per unit area than Ireland,
while Germany receives only 6% more. Figure adapted from a presentation
by Paul Dykes, SEAI, given at a conference held in Johnstown Castle on 11
May 2011.
The recent development of organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) has greatly advanced
power conversion efficiency from 3% to over 15%. To date, the highest reported
power conversion efficiency ranges from 6.7% to 8.94% for small molecule, 8.4%–
10.6% for polymer OPVs, and 7% to 15% for perovskite OPVs. Not only are these
recently developed OPVs more efficient and low-cost, they are also more
environmentally benign and made of raw materials from renewable renewable.
11
Fraunhofer Institute, 2015. Photovoltaics Report: Prepared by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar
Energy Systems ISE with support of PSE AG. Freiburg, 26 August 2015. www.ise.fraunhofer.de
Figure 4.1 Increasing solar PV cell efficiencies year-on-year, obtained under laboratory
conditions. Figure adapted from the Fraunhofer Institute report cited above.
It is worth pointing out that the high efficiency obtained from multi-junction
concentrator solar cells with multiple p–n junctions made of different semiconductor
materials could further increase as a result of continuing technical development.
Each material's p-n junction will produce electric current in response to different
wavelengths of light, and the use of multiple semiconducting materials allows the
absorbance of a broader range of wavelengths, improving the cell's sunlight to
electrical energy conversion efficiency. Traditional single-junction cells have a
maximum theoretical efficiency of 34%. Theoretically, an infinite number of
junctions would have a limiting efficiency of 86.8% under concentrated sunlight.
The submission by the Irish Solar Energy Association to the Consultation on the
Green Paper on Energy Policy in Ireland, cited above, states that:
“ … the costs of solar modules in Europe have fallen by 42% since 2011
from €0.96/w to €0.56/w. This contrasts heavily with energy prices in
Ireland, which have increased by 27% in the same period. From a solar
resource perspective, the cost reduction means that €1,000 invested in a
solar project in Greece in 2011, will generate the same amount of electricity
as €1,000 invested in a solar project in Athlone in 2014. Looking forward,
installation costs for solar are projected to continue to fall a further 29% from
€1.03/w in 2014 to €0.73/w by 2020. This will make solar a cheaper source
of renewable energy than onshore wind, with grid parity expected no later
than 2025”.
These price reductions in solar PV have also been noted by the Deutsche Bank in
a report on the solar power industry. The report states that the bank expects solar
electricity to become competitive with retail electricity in an increasing number of
markets globally, due to declining solar panel costs as well as improving financing
and customer acquisition costs. Unsubsidised rooftop solar electricity costs
between US$0.08 and $0.13/kWh, 30-40% below retail price of electricity in many
markets globally. In markets dependent on coal for electricity generation, the ratio
of coal-based wholesale electricity to solar electricity cost was 7:1 four years ago.
The ratio is now under 2:1 and could approach 1:1 over the next 12-18 months.12
The Deutsche Bank report also observes that the economics of solar PV energy
have improved significantly due to the reduction in solar panel costs, financing
costs and balance of system costs. Overall solar system costs have declined by
approximately 15% compound annual growth rate over the past 8 years and the
bank expects another 40% cost reduction over the next 4-5 years.
Figure 4.2 Cumulative production and the associated reduction in price of solar
photovoltaic modules.
12
Deutsche Bank Markets Research, 2015. The Solar Industry: FITT for Investors – Crossing the
Chasm; 27 February 2015.
Mass production must not be forgotten as a significant factor in helping to lower the
price of solar PV. The report by the Fraunhofer Institute provides an illustration
showing how every time the cumulative production of electricity from solar PV has
double, the price went down by 19.6% (inflation adjusted €/Wp) (see Figure 5.2
above).13 Figure 4.3 below shows how the wholesale prices of 1.0Wp Chinese
manufactured crystalline PV modules have declined from mid 2010 to 2014.
Largely as a result of these economic and technical changes, the market for
photovoltaics is fast growing; and the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of
PV installations was 44 % between 2000 and 201414.
13
Fraunhofer Institute, 2015. Photovoltaics Report: Prepared by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar
Energy Systems ISE with support of PSE AG. Freiburg, 26 August 2015. www.ise.fraunhofer.de
14
Fraunhofer Institute, 2015. Photovoltaics Report: Prepared by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar
Energy Systems ISE with support of PSE AG. Freiburg, 26 August 2015. www.ise.fraunhofer.de
15
European Commission, 2015. Communication from the Commission -- Towards an Integrated
Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan: Accelerating the European Energy System
Transformation. Brussels, 15.9.2015 C(2015) 6317 final.
There is no doubt, from the information we have provided above, that solar PV
materials and modules are becoming more efficient and cheaper, and that
efficiencies will continue to increase, and prices will become lower. Whether a
shortage of raw materials will slow down this trend is unknown, but in the
immediate future the competitiveness of solar PV for electricity generation will
improve, to the stage where it is now becoming less costly to generate electricity
from solar PV than from other renewable resources such as wind or biomass.
Nevertheless, it is our submission that in order to accelerate the uptake of PV
systems in Ireland, appropriate State funding is needed in the form a Renewable
Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) or other financial support. Only with the assistance
of such measures will Ireland be able to make use of the abundant solar energy
available.
In Ireland, there is plenty of suitable land on which to roll out large scale solar
projects, particularly marginal agricultural land and cutaway bogs that are no longer
suitable for peat cutting. Solar farms can also be implemented across a wide
variety of platforms, such as commercial rooftops and former landfill sites. The
latter could be particularly suitable, as these sites are usually free of heavy
vegetative growth, they support only grasses and other small plants, grazing and
tree growth is not permitted, and there are few other suitable uses available or
permitted. However, care would have to be taken to ensure that the impermeable
cover beneath the topsoil layer would not be damaged by the installation of
ground-based PV systems.
Other potential sites include roofs of commercial buildings, sports facilities, and
industrial plants. Obtaining planning permission for roof-mounted PV installations
should not be difficult.
In contrast, other renewable energy sources, particularly wind farms and anaerobic
digestion facilities, have attracted significant objections, leading to delays in
securing planning permission, appeals to An Bord Pleanála, and (in a number of
recent cases) applications to the High Court to Judicially Review decisions by An
Bord Pleanála.
Because panels are raised above the ground on posts, more than 95% of the land
utilised for solar farm development is still suitable for plant growth, and potentially
for wildlife and agricultural activities such as light to moderate grazing. Following
construction and commissioning, there is very little need for human activity on site,
apart from occasional maintenance visits.
Most sites have a lifespan of at least 20 years which is sufficient time for
appropriate land management practices to yield wildlife benefits.
those developed through engagement with the local community, the landowner and
local and national conservation organisations.
One possibility which offers great potential, but which needs to be examined
carefully, is the use of worked-out peatlands as locations for large scale solar
farms. While these areas are generally fairly level and may have few other uses,
there are ecological considerations which must be taken into account. In recent
years, worked-out bogs have been suggested as suitable areas for wind-farming,
but such developments require construction of roads capable of accommodating
heavy and lengthy transport vehicles, the creation of areas of hard-standing for use
by cranes and other construction equipment, and the emplacement of large and
heavy concrete bases to support the turbine towers; all of which have adverse
effects on drainage and ecology.
Provided that sufficient care is taken to prevent damage to the remaining peat
layer, solar PV farms could relatively easily be developed on former bogs where
further peat harvesting is not possible or has been discontinued for environmental
reasons. The use of light construction materials and temporary surface protection
could enable installation of PV solar arrays to proceed without significant ecological
damage.
This situation adversely impacts the type of business case that companies such as
ISI Ltd can make for solar PV in Ireland. Rather than installing PV with the
intention of selling the electricity using a REFIT, the most-effective business case
we can make for solar PV has to be based on local use, where all electricity
produced is used by the building or site where it is generated.
One approach that has worked well in County Tipperary is to call for tenders based
on a target cost of energy per watt generated. So, rather than tender for a certain
area of solar panels with a given capacity, suppliers could be asked to tender
based on an expected cost in Euro per kWh of electricity produced. The tender
evaluation would then apply expert advice to assess the technical solution offered.
This helps the decision-making process because it allows for a more transparent
assessment of long-term costs and capital expenditures.
One further and very significant reason for introducing a renewable energy feed-in
tariff (REFIT) or similar financial support for solar energy is to level the “playing
pitch” between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. As the Department
will be aware, under the Renewables Obligation Order (Northern Ireland) 2009,
and the Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2014,
electricity exported by producers to the local grid will provide a financial return to
the producer.
The Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) is the main policy instrument
for incentivising renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland, and is
administered by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI). The
policy places a requirement on all electricity suppliers to provide proof to OFGEM
that a portion of their energy supply comes from renewable sources. They account
for this by supplying a number of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) to
OFGEM each year.
When a business or householder begins generating their own energy, they apply
for and are issued with ROCs based on the technology they are using and the
amount of energy they produce. These ROCs are tradable and are of value to the
energy suppliers, meaning they can be sold for additional income. This is the key
to the success of the NIRO scheme, which has boosted renewable energy
generation in Northern Ireland from 4 per cent in 2005 to 14 per cent in 2012.
Even though the scheme has worked well to date, it is intended that it will be
terminated in 2017 if the Renewables Obligation Closure Order (Northern Ireland)
2015 is approved by the Legislative Assembly. This Statutory Instrument states
that no renewables obligation certificates are to be issued under a renewables
obligation order for electricity generated after 31st March 2017. In the meantime,
As the Department will be aware, the All-Ireland electricity market has operated
since 01 November 2007 as a single electricity market (SEM), trading wholesale
electricity in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland on an All-Ireland basis,
and managed by the Single Electricity Market Operator (SEMO). SEMO is a joint
venture between EirGrid plc (the transmission system operator for the Republic of
Ireland) and SONI (the System Operator for Northern Ireland), the latter being a
wholly owned subsidiary of Eirgrid.
We consider that it is a distortion of the market that payment for electricity exported
to the grid from PV installations is available to micro-generators in Northern
Ireland, while there is no similar payment available to the owners or operators of
similar installations in the Republic of Ireland. It is our submission that the “playing
field” should be levelled, and we see no reason why this cannot be done by
collaboration between the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in the
Republic of Ireland and the Authority for Utility Regulation in Northern Ireland
(NIAUR), through the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) signed by these
agencies in August 2004 and June 2005, with the approval of both Governments.
Ireland has clearly a long way to go in order to catch up with Germany and other
European countries, but the process will go more quickly and smoothly if a wide
range of stakeholders are engaged.
In seeking to develop large scale ground-based solar farms, we would suggest that
the lessons learned from attempts to impose industrial-scale wind farms on rural
populations must be taken into account. The Department will be acutely aware of
the wide-spread and strong public protest and concerted opposition to proposals
for the development of industrial wind farms in Ireland; and, while it is very likely
that solar farms would not attract any such opposition, it will be important to obtain
the support of local communities by means of proactive engagement and the
provision of information. Land is an emotive issue, and rural communities will need
to be convinced that this new land use would not be out of place in Ireland’s largely
agricultural landscape, or would not be detrimental to farming in general.
Technology Cost: The price of solar PV modules has declined significantly over
the last decade, dropping from around €1.5/kWp in 2010 to
currently less than €0.6/kWp, and is set to decline even
further.
Energy Security: Ireland is heavily dependant on imported fossil fuels (gas, oil
and coal) for electricity generation, and this constitutes a
significant risk to energy security at a time when the need to
16
Ireland needs an Energy Revolution – Friends of the Earth Action Plan, May 2015.
Environmental: Solar energy has low carbon dioxide and particulate emissions
per kWh generated; lower than other renewable energy
sources. Solar farms have not been found to have any
adverse effects on wildlife, and do not have to be located in
upland areas of wildlife importance; while roof-mounted solar
PV systems have no “land take” associated with them. This
situation contrasts with wind farms, which require the
construction of access roads, heavy foundations for the turbine
towers, risk to birds, and potential adverse effects on human
health.
Other Funding: We would also submit that multiple funding options for solar
PV should be explored and developed. These could include
direct finance from Government or local authorities (especially
where a community benefit can be demonstrated), asset-
based lending, partial or full funding through an energy service
company (ESCO), community and crowd-funding efforts.
Jack O’Sullivan
September 2015
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