Solar farms on the rise

Generating more electricity from solar farms is a crucial part of the country’s strategy for reducing carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. The national Climate Action Plan has set a target of eight gigawatts of solar power by 2030, a near four-fold increase of the current capacity. Wexford, as the sunniest county in Ireland, has an obvious attraction for solar energy production.

Two large-scale solar installations are feeding power into the grid, one near Camolin, and another near Foulksmills. ESB Networks is developing the Wexford Hub, linking solar farms at four locations to the west and south-west of Wexford town. These three facilities, with generating capacities of 85-100 megawatts are among the twenty largest solar farms in Ireland.

We will discuss the accelerating development of solar farms in our region, considering the implications of these facilities for climate change mitigation, community disruption and community gain, environment and biodiversity, agricultural land use, and more.

Our guests in this discussion will include

• Barry Caslin, Energy and Rural Development Specialist with Teagasc, on the land use issues arising from solar farms;
• Sean Moroney, from ESB Generation and Trading, who is community liaison officer with the Wexford Hub project;
• Brendan Cooney, environmental scientist, Wexford County Council

Booking is essential for this event.

Should you require additional supports to attend any of our events, please contact Wexford Library 053-9196760 or email: wexfordlibrary@wexfordcoco.ie