SOLAR PV ELECTRICITY – ENERGY-SAVING LAW CHANGE TO HERALD
A proposed change in planning legislation could herald a quiet revolution that would see Ireland generate 5% of its electrical needs from its rooftops.
The proposal in the Programme For Government to remove the current restrictions on solar panels of 50% of roof space, or 12m2, could see each household form a two-way relationship with the national grid according to Joe Freyne, CEO of energy technology firm Swyft Energy.
“If the proposed reform is implemented, the Irish solar PV market will follow a similar growth trajectory to Germany where 8% of electricity needs are supplied by rooftop panels,” said Mr Freyne.
“Ireland is comparable with Germany – which is one of the largest solar powered nations in the world – in terms of sunlight hours and PV production.
Even in so-called low-light conditions, on cloudy or rainy days, or at dusk, quality solar PV systems keep producing relatively high output – and pay back their purchase cost in the first seven to nine years of a 25 year-plus lifespan.
The key to capitalising on this energy when it is needed lies in the use of a battery, which captures the excess electricity generated by PV panels to power your home in the evenings.
SOLAR PV
At Swyft Energy we integrate our solar PV systems with a smart programmable battery which is able to charge at night from the national grid, using electricity that is statistically more likely to come from a green source such as wind.”
An EU directive is in force that gives citizens the right to sell electricity back into the National Grid, which will create a revenue stream for households and businesses.
“The Government has a clear choice when it comes to setting this feed-in tariff for microgeneration,” said Mr Freyne.
“It needs to be high enough to incentivise a strong take up, so that it will be net positive for more households and businesses to convert to solar PV and produce green energy.
When Germany and the UK introduced feed-in tariffs, their solar PV markets experienced massive growth.
In Ireland, this will create green jobs and mean huge opportunities for businesses, schools and community structures, which have large amounts of roof space, to generate income by selling back into the grid.”