There is growing confidence in Solar’s potential across Ireland, along with the government target increasing from 1.5GW-2.5GW to 8GW by 2030. Ireland has seen many solar farms reaching the construction stage recently and MKO specialise in locating these sites.
One thing for landowners to bear in mind is that revenue has stated where solar panels occupy less than 50% of the land, agricultural relief will still be made available. Additionally, it is widely known that grazing sheep doesn’t tend to be an issue around solar panels encouraging using land for both purposes.
Our GIS and Digital team use geospatial software and well-practised techniques to locate new solar sites. High-level search criteria tend to be applied first, for instance, conducting searches around substations that may have available capacity and connectivity. At a more detailed level, our team can assess constraints specific to new potential sites, for example, assessing nearby planning applications and investigating suitable topography, slope aspect, distance from houses or flood zone proximity.
Our team excel with location intelligence but also benefits from valuable support from our Land Agent and Planning teams, particularly where negotiations are required with landowners or regarding the potential for obtaining planning permission. We create and present potential new site options to discuss and investigate further with clients to guide them towards the most advantageous choices.