Reports

This Best Practice Guidance Report has been prepared by Fehily Timoney and Company (FT) and the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) to assist potential developers, stakeholders and Local Authorities in site selection, preparation of applications for planning consent and considerations relating to construction, associated infrastructure and operational procedures from a planning and environmental perspective.

The Irish Solar Energy Association's ‘Scale of Solar’ report highlights the remarkable growth of solar energy in Ireland and its significant impact on redefining our dependency on fossil fuels. This report sheds light on the country's burgeoning solar capacity and underscores the importance of embracing solar energy as a key driver of Ireland's sustainable future.

Our RESS-3 report, produced by AFRY, found that increasing solar capacity will result in a more balanced energy mix and, since RESS-3 solar is curtailed less than RESS-3 onshore wind, this allows for increased electricity generation from renewables in Ireland. Society benefits as solar predictably generates energy at peak day-time hours, displacing fossil fuel-based electricity generation, and leading to lower electricity prices and lower emissions.

This report found that solar projects face fewer planning hurdles and navigate the planning process relatively quickly, meaning that these projects have a high success rate in receiving grid connection offers. This speed is vital for achieving our 2030 targets, which would be made easier with the removal of barriers to solar deployment in Ireland.

Following the RESS-2 auction, KPMG was commissioned by the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) to model a Reference Case solar project and identify the impact that single assumption changes can have on the strike price required to maintain a given level of return. The sensitivities set out in this report should hopefully serve as aid to solar energy developers in understanding the key value drivers in their projects, as well as policymakers in how their decisions on various policy matters (e.g. inflation, rates, etc.) directly impact on the RESS strike price required by projects.

This analysis shows that there are significant potential financial savings for people from their rooftops. Beyond the positive impact on increasing energy bills, solar PV provides an option for people to directly participate in the battle against climate change. Solar panels could be the entry point for many people on their sustainability journey.

The Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) commissioned KPMG to carry out a piece of bespoke financial modelling, relating to the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction, to identify the impact single assumption changes to a Reference Case project can have on the required strike price for the project to ensure the same project return.

In conjunction with the 'Value of Solar in Ireland' report, this study shows that a more balanced mix of wind and solar is beneficial for consumers, due to lower expected PSO costs that more than offset the higher wholesale prices; the wind industry, due to lower curtailment and higher capture prices; EirGrid/SONI, because there is less curtailment to deal with; and the government, due to lower emissions.

This study, produced by AFRY and commissioned by ISEA, finds that achieving the 2030 RES-E ambitions through a more balanced mix of new wind and solar leads to a number of benefits to society in the Republic of Ireland when compared to a scenario that relies more heavily on new wind developments alone.

KPMG prepared this report, at the request of the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA), to assess the potential benefits to the Irish economy from the introduction of a policy support scheme for solar photovoltaic (PV), and to explore the potential policy options.