Renewable energy firm Statkraft has activated two new solar farms in Ireland, bringing the amount of solar energy it is feeding into the grid here to above half a gigawatt.
The Scandinavian company said it had “energised” a 174 megawatt (MW) solar project in Clonfad, Co Westmeath, and a 32MW operation at Irishtown on the Dublin-Meath border. A megawatt of power is considered enough to power between 700 and 750 homes.
Statkraft, which described itself as Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy, said the two new projects brought its total installed solar capacity in Ireland to 560MWs, or over half a gigawatt. This, it said, represented just over two-fifths of the 1.3 gigawatts in Irish installed solar energy.
Statkraft Ireland managing director Kevin O’Donovan said the two new solar farms represented “a positive step in a very turbulent time. With the current geopolitical challenges, we are seeing an ever-increasing need to deliver renewables to ensure safe and secure, domestic energy supplies”.
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The milestone, he said, represented another step in strengthening Ireland’s energy security and accelerating the delivery of home-grown electricity at a time of growing demand and international volatility in our energy market.
Ronan Power, chief executive of industry group Solar Ireland, said: “Large projects like Clonfad and Irishtown are helping bring more clean, home-grown electricity on to the grid at a time when energy security and affordability are key priorities.”
He said it was important that policy, grid investment and planning frameworks continued to support the deployment of solar and other renewables across the State.
Statkraft said Clonfad and Irishtown would begin distributing a promised community benefit fund to their local areas over the next year.
