A SOLAR farm located on an agricultural land in Co. Cork is the first to be operated under a new sustainability scheme.
Farmer Sean Keating has developed a 650kW facility on his dairy farm in Meadstown, Kildorrery, which features more than 1,000 solar panels across 1.5 acres.
It can generate enough clean electricity to power 150 local homes each year, while still allowing his livestock to graze on the land beneath the panels.
“This project started back in 2017 with a simple vision to diversify our farm’s income and build a sustainable, long-term legacy for my family – and to also do our bit for the environment,” Mr Keating explained.
This week it was announced that the Irish energy supplier Flogas would partner with Mr Keating to operate the farm under the Government’s new Small-Scale Renewable Energy Support Scheme (SRESS).
Flogas Energy Managing Director Ken O’Byrne, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Niall Collins, and Meadhill Solar Farm farmer and project manager Sean Keating pitctured at his farm in Co Cork (Pic: Daragh Mac Sweeney, Provision Photography)It marks the first such farm to operate in this way.
"Flogas is proud to partner with Sean Keating on this landmark project and to support Ireland’s first solar farm to energise under SRESS,” Ken O’Byrne, Managing Director of Flogas Energy, said this week.
Through a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA), Flogas will provide a long-term route to market for the renewable electricity generated by the farm.
“What makes Meadhill Solar Farm significant is that it shows how a long-term PPA can help a farmer-led renewable project move from an idea on paper to a fully operational asset,” Mr O’Byrne explained.
“Our role is to provide the commercial certainty that gives projects like this a route to market and helps unlock the investment needed to bring them forward.
“We see significant potential for this model to support more farmers, SMEs and independent renewable developers across rural Ireland.”
Under the SRESS, which launched last year, the Government helps small renewable energy projects, like solar and wind, get off the ground.
It covers projects that produce between 50kW and 6MW of electricity and guarantees payments for the electricity produced.
“The Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is an important part of our strategy to increase renewable electricity generation across Ireland and to enable farmers, rural communities and smaller developers to participate in the energy transition,” Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien, said.
“Meadhill Solar Farm shows how the right policy framework can help turn locally developed ideas into operational renewable energy projects,” he added.
“As Ireland works towards our climate and renewable energy targets, projects like this will have an important role to play in expanding our renewable generation capacity and supporting a more sustainable energy system.”
Mr Keating said the SRESS support was key to seeing his plans to diversify his farm truly take effect.
“Bringing the project to life required significant work across planning, the ESB grid connection and financing,” he explained.
"Support from the Government’s SRESS scheme, along with Flogas coming on board with a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement, was key to making the project bankable.”
He added: “I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to our project partners Bank of Ireland/SBCI and PV Generation Ltd.
“It was the support of both, and in particular that of PV Generation Ltd, that was critical in making this milestone possible.
“I’m very proud of what we have achieved and deeply grateful for the support of my family and the local community throughout the journey. It’s my pleasure to be able to share this milestone with them.”
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