The government is being urged not to miss out on a “huge opportunity” for Ireland and its renewable energy targets through using farm shed roofs across the country for solar power generation.

Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Munster regional chairman – and former IFA National Environment Committee chairman – Harold Kingston was speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Drivetime yesterday (Tuesday, July 27) on the topic of renewable energy.

Commenting following the opening of Ireland’s largest solar farm in Kinsale, Co. Cork, Kingston said:

“What I want to make sure of when it comes to solar is that we don’t miss out on what is a huge opportunity for the country.”

The Cork dairy farmer highlighted that wind farms have largely focused on big developments and private equity funds coming in with “no real community involvement”.

“There is an opportunity now for a proper strategy whereby farmers would be part of the solution on this. And farmers are very much willing to be part of the solution.

“Unfortunately they can’t afford it,” he said.

“This isn’t about offsetting agricultural emissions; this is about offsetting the two thirds of energy that we buy into this country. This is about producing energy by ourselves for ourselves.”

Kingston highlighted a “number of barriers”, firstly pointing to a need for a joined-up strategy” and secondly stressing the cost factor in deterring interested farmers from utilising shed roofs for panels:

“In terms of the sheer cost of actually putting this up…the reality is that a capital grant is necessary – because at the moment, if you were to work it on purely using the electricity yourself, you’re looking at a pay-back time of maybe 16 years if you’re lucky, and that’s for a high-energy using farm.

“After that then you need to really see a payback for something like this in five, six, seven years so a capital grant is critical to it,” he said.

In terms of access to the grid, the chairman noted that Eirgrid “are actually world leaders in terms of managing the grid and in terms of managing to get solar, wind and renewables in general onto the grid and making use of them”.

“I think we need to get proper access. We have the space available [on shed roofs] to do this. Unfortunately the economics don’t stack up to getting this done without a capital grant.”

Asked whether farmers can sell excess electricity back to the grid, Kingston said:


“You can give it back – but you can’t sell it back.

“In terms of grid access it still costs money to get onto the grid and the chances of getting onto the grid are very slim at the moment.”

In terms of actually being paid for the electricity you supply in, the farmer added that energy suppliers are “not interested in buying from small [producers].”

Jerry McAvilly, head of policy with Friends of the Earth, shared Kingston’s concerns stating:

“The Department of the Environment has consulted on this issue for ‘micro-gens’ – support small-level generation like solar panels on your roof – but the proposal they’ve put forward includes a lot of restrictions including the requirement to have a BRC rating and there are other restrictions as well.”

McAvilly stressed as “completely unacceptable” a requirement for schools and community buildings to get planning permission in order to put any solar panels, no matter how small, on their roofs.

“Friends of the Earth has been helping a few schools to put solar panels on their roofs and this planning permission has had a real chilling effect as it involves a lot of time, effort and money.

“If these types of barriers exist for farmers and communities, we need to be making community energy such as solar on community buildings as easy – if not even easier – than major developments,” he said, adding that such barriers create a risk of undermining public support in such projects.

In relation to selling surplus energy back to the grid from panels on the likes of shed roofs, the head of policy explained:

“This is what the department’s Micro Generation Support Scheme is intended to address.

“They’ve put forward a proposal on that but unfortunately the department has said that they’re now talking about the second half of this year for this new payment scheme to be put in place, with more actions required by the regulator.

“So there still isn’t clarity on that front. But even before we get there, both for farms and even more outrageously for schools and businesses, there’s this additional initial barrier of a planning permission requirement,” McAvilly added.

Drivetime also read out a statement form the Department of the Environment which said:

“It is expected that the commission for the regulation of utilities will publish a draft framework later this year which will outline the details including eligibility criteria and timescales for the introduction of a clean export guaranteed payment for exported renewable electricity.

“This would allow for the commencement of payments to micro and small-scale suppliers.”