The Taoiseach has said that an update will be given in the coming weeks on efforts to introduce planning exemptions for solar panels.
Green Party TD, Steven Matthews raised the issue in the Dáil yesterday (Tuesday, February 15) where he said there is an urgent need to progress the matter.
The Wicklow representative said that with the recent introductions of the Micro-generation Support Scheme and the National Retrofitting Scheme, premises will be able to install solar panels, including schools, churches, community buildings and farm buildings.
Matthews said that he understood the requirement for a strategic environmental assessment on planning exemptions for solar panels but called for the process to be expedited.
In response, Taoiseach Micheál Martin agreed with the TD and said that he was “putting enormous pressure” on Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien “to get on with it”.
“He assures me that it will be done in the next two to three weeks,” Martin said.
Matthews welcomed the update, adding that the pace needs to be picked up to meet the growing demand for solar panels.
Solar panel bill
Meanwhile, a Green Party bill on the issue will be debated at committee stage in the Seanad today (February 16).
The bill would introduce exemptions to planning regulations, so solar panels can be installed on public buildings, including schools, without planning permission.
It also aims to reduce the barriers associated with solar panel installation, including the employment of architects in advance of installation; the submission of multiple planning applications; and limitations surrounding ground mounted solar panels.
Senator Pauline O’Reilly, who brought the bill to the Seanad, said: “Planning laws that restrict the use of solar panels on schools, farms and community buildings have all but stopped development and need to be urgently overhauled.
“At the moment, schools and public buildings need to seek planning permission to install even one solar panel and this can take months of paperwork and formalities,” O’Reilly added.
“There are also restrictions on the size and number of panels that can be used, and this means they are too small for the needs of the building.
“This bill opens up opportunities for schools and other public buildings to install enough panels to finally power some or all of their electricity needs and to sell any excess electricity that they generate back to the grid,” the senator concluded.