ESB Networks has announced this week that it has connected 1,000 MW (one gigawatt) of solar PV generation to Ireland’s electricity network. One gigawatt of solar power is enough to power a medium-sized city, or the equivalent of approximately 400,000 homes!
This figure includes 500MW of utility-scale solar connections, 369MW of which is from larger projects connected to the transmission system, managed by EirGrid. The rapid scale up in micro- and small-scale generation has been mirrored in the rapid growth in the connection of utility-scale solar farms. The number of connections is supported by ongoing investments in a cleaner, more resilient, and more flexible electricity system.
Conall Bolger of the Irish Solar Energy Association said:
“Reaching one gigawatt of connected solar is a major milestone both for Ireland’s fight against climate change and for our solar industry. Connecting 1GW less than two years after Ireland’s first solar farm was energised demonstrates the genuine potential of solar. There is a strong pipeline of new solar farms currently under development, and we must continue to support this momentum to enable Ireland to achieve its goal of 8GW of solar by 2030.”
This is a significant milestone for the industry, and ACEL Energy is happy to have contributed to that total over the last year and looks forward to adding to that figure even further in the years ahead while striving towards future milestones.
Read the full release: https://lnkd.in/ekt5tv3C