Solar panels on land

JOAT

Anyone know much about these? Heard today that a next door neighbor is thinking of getting them. Land is of very good quality and very dry. Only a few inches of topsoil in places due to limestone. Anyone know the conditions attached to getting these put in? Really would hate to see such good land on the bounds ditch covered in these yokes for the next 30 or 40 years. Hopefully he'll see sense and move away from the idea. Farmer is elderly but not living on the farm

greasepalm

trying to see what the idea is in this case,i have solar panels on roof of house to heat water in the summer but not much good in the winter.over in uk they can be used for generating electricity and supply surplus to the grid.
dont think we are going that way yet.

greasepalm

trying to see what the idea is in this case,i have solar panels on roof of house to heat water in the summer but not much good in the winter.over in uk they can be used for generating electricity and supply surplus to the grid.
dont think we are going that way yet.

Miname

They're coming and I'd say in a big way. Ireland has loads to do on renewable energy. I can't see the issue with them there will be strips of graze able ground between them. There's a fair few British companies getting established here at the moment.

Markcheese

There's loads of potential sites being scouted out...(in the south and south east ) but none financed yet, grid connection slots will take time to organise too,
The land is still grazeable with the p.v panels in place...
Whats wrong with your neighbour making a few bob out of the farm...

warpdrive

He could possibly sell any excess power back to the grid or store it to use himself. What's wrong with doing that? Sounds smart, especially since solar is becoming more and more effective.

One day we may see some roads constructed with built in solar panels. As far as I know, a city or town in France is already testing this out as a means for powering the area.

rangler1

farmers around here are getting letters lately offering €1000/ac per year for 25 years and sheep would be able to graze under the solar panels

arctictree

rangler1 wrote: »

farmers around here are getting letters lately offering €1000/ac per year for 25 years and sheep would be able to graze under the solar panels

Would the ground not be in constant shade under the solar panels?

greasepalm

possibly not if raised off the ground and at an angle to the sun ,some time of day it will be lit underneath with the arch of the sun. agree solar is the way to go and nice if fossil fuels are going and reducing carbon footprint even further.

Birdnuts

None will be built without refit subsidies - its still unclear what the government/energy regulator will agree to in that area and nothing has been announced on the matter to date. Solar on this scale is rather financially dubious at our latitude so they will have to be rather generous to make solar farms pay. The industry in the UK has ground to a halt recently with the cutting of these subsidies due to spiralling costs which is why many of these companies are now over here seeing what they can tap the Irish market for. Given the experience of some farmers with wind developer contracts, folks need to be very carefull about what exactly they are signing up to in terms of the small print etc. permitted use of land etc. so getting your own legal advice on such contracts is a must. Good idea to check out the tax implications too.

Brown Podzol

arctictree wrote: »

Would the ground not be in constant shade under the solar panels?

If they would keep the rain off they would be worth it alone for that.
"It would be a grand little country if you could roof it"

greenpetrol

Brown Podzol wrote: »

If they would keep the rain off they would be worth it alone for that.
"It would be a grand little country if you could roof it"

They could be very useful to the guys with outside cubicles

Hershall

rangler1 wrote: »

farmers around here are getting letters lately offering €1000/ac per year for 25 years and sheep would be able to graze under the solar panels

Where do I sign!!!!!!!!!

coconnellz

But it is only in specific areas in south and south east where the infrastructure is already In place to carry the electrical load to the grid also you need transformer boxes etc

foxy farmer

There was a submission for over 20 acres of solar panels lodged recently in relation to ground within 2 miles of me. Grand land that has been growing barley and silage and fattening cattle longer than i have been around.
Marginal ground fair enough but fine productive land? One thing for sure- no fear the lad in question will go into sheep.

Miname

There's plenty of interest in it and it's a given we're going to have to accept it. Good or bad land it's not our decision what other farmers do with their land. 750-1500 per acre per year with share agreements, fixed prices, etc. it's going to be major and there's very little options out there that will provide a return like that. I don't know the ins and outs but have been reading up on it. I for one would change over to it in a heartbeat. And if the option presented itself to most farmers I'd say they would too.

Birdnuts

Miname wrote: »

There's plenty of interest in it and it's a given we're going to have to accept it. Good or bad land it's not our decision what other farmers do with their land. 750-1500 per acre per year with share agreements, fixed prices, etc. it's going to be major and there's very little options out there that will provide a return like that. I don't know the ins and outs but have been reading up on it. I for one would change over to it in a heartbeat. And if the option presented itself to most farmers I'd say they would too.

I'd be a bit wary of making too many assumptions on the basis of the current PR blitz by some solar comapanies. How big it will be will be is entirely dependent on the refit subsidies set by the future government. The previous government actually abolished these for micro solar so it remains to be seen just how much solar the energy regulator is willing to allow on to the grid - especcially given the energy demand profile in this country which tends to peak during the hours of darkness. Indeed even in Spain the industry is now struggling on the back of subsidy cuts

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21582018-sustainable-energy-meets-unsustainable-costs-cost-del-sol

carrollsno1

Whats required re planning permission or is there any required and could my b****rd neighbour stop me putting them in i see them here in the uk at the moment and it looks like you could fit a handy tractor underneath will try get a pic next time im passing

Birdnuts

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Whats required re planning permission or is there any required and could my b****rd neighbour stop me putting them in i see them here in the uk at the moment and it looks like you could fit a handy tractor underneath will try get a pic next time im passing

They require planning permissions like any other major development. They need stuff like security fencing, sub-stations and be located near a suiteable grid access point. Near housing etc. there will be a requirement for alot of screening via tree planting etc. based on the ones that have got PP to date.

tanko

€1000/acre/year for 25 years. Where do i sign up? I assume this is being organised by Nigerians who have won plenty of lottos and are looking for an investment opportunity.
Farmers who made millions growing willow in recent years will be very interested in this no doubt.

Farrell

Does it have to be land & what's the min size.
Allot of farmers wound have sheds with a roof south facing & any income would be welcome

Birdnuts

Farrell wrote: »

Does it have to be land & what's the min size.
Allot of farmers wound have sheds with a roof south facing & any income would be welcome

There are currently no guidlines or feedin tariffs/subsidies in place so nobody will know until the Energy regulator deceides on the matter. Personally i think rooftop solar makes more sense than sprawling solar farms in many ways eg - less issues with planning, land use etc. and the likes of sheds, ware houses etc. would be ideal for this, and you can use a much higher density of panels too compared to land based solar farms.

Miname

Birdnuts wrote: »

There are currently no guidlines or feedin tariffs/subsidies in place so nobody will know until the Energy regulator deceides on the matter. Personally i think rooftop solar makes more sense than sprawling solar farms in many ways eg - less issues with planning, land use etc. and the likes of sheds, ware houses etc. would be ideal for this, and you can use a much higher density of panels too compared to land based solar farms.

Your wrong birdnuts. Loads of info. 25 acre block of land all in one section and can't think of the feed in tariffs and stuff but they are there. I've the paperwork here some where. The sheds are a great idea but not feasible as there are very few large enough to be self paying without a lot of grants.

wclarke20

I spoke with them recently. Not all farms are elgible. They must be close to a substation to make it feasible.
Upto 1500 per acre depending on tariffs which the government hasnt confirmed. A contract of 20 years but Im not sure what happens if they go bust in that period.
Sheep can graze around the solar panels but not cattle.

Birdnuts

Miname wrote: »

Your wrong birdnuts. Loads of info. 25 acre block of land all in one section and can't think of the feed in tariffs and stuff but they are there. I've the paperwork here some where. The sheds are a great idea but not feasible as there are very few large enough to be self paying without a lot of grants.

I'm not sure lad where that info is coming from but solar farms are as reliant on these subsidies as roof top installations if they are to hook up to the grid and sell power, as opposed to using them for personal power consumption only. There is currently no supports for grid scale solar in this country so none of these proposed solar farms will actually be operating until that is in place.

http://www.engineersjournal.ie/2016/01/12/interest-in-solar-pv-heats-up-on-irish-farms/



"At present there is no subsidy or support available for solar PV. In anticipation of a subsidy many developers are engaging with farmers and taking options on the most suitable sites for development. Developers will have to consider whether sufficient subsidy will be available when bringing forward projects."

PS: Have you shown your paperwork to your solictor?? Make sure he goes through it with a fine tooth comb before signing off on anything!!

godskitchen

People are raving if they think solar will work here. Out of their mind!

Feed in or grant aided, it won't matter one bit.

We are the wrong country for this technology, all you have to do is look out the window.

It's a game for doggy sales guys with no brains.

vermin99

Anyone consider putting solar panels on slatted shed roofs etc?

kowtow

Call me stupid but if the Ifa really wanted to be useful why isn't it going into the electricity business, generating on some farms and selling to others.

Electricity in this country is a scandal.

darragh_haven

kowtow wrote: »

Call me stupid but if the Ifa really wanted to be useful why isn't it going into the electricity business, generating on some farms and selling to others.

Electricity in this country is a scandal.

It costs 2 to 3 times as much to generate electricity on a farm scale as it does buying from the ESB. It's a subsidies game to get up and running.

enricoh

No doubt there will be anti solar groups kicking off so. Maybe a few candidates in the next election !
Was collecting a spreader I bought off donedeal and in the space of half an hour signs for no sewerage plant wanted, no pylons wanted and no wind farms wanted! Probably missed a phone mast one too!
And the lad I bought it off said there was no work to keep young lads in the area!

Birdnuts

enricoh wrote: »

No doubt there will be anti solar groups kicking off so. Maybe a few candidates in the next election !
Was collecting a spreader I bought off donedeal and in the space of half an hour signs for no sewerage plant wanted, no pylons wanted and no wind farms wanted! Probably missed a phone mast one too!
And the lad I bought it off said there was no work to keep young lads in the area!

In fairness they don't provide much employment after installing and if the ownership of most major wind farms is anything to go by, most of the bigger ones will end being owned by foreign hedge funds. Most of the panels aren't even made in the EU with the vast majority manufactured in China these days. If subsidies(its our money at the end of the day) are to be used to create employment in the energy space, more long terms sustainable jobs should be the aim, like retro-fitting houses, businesses, micro generation etc. for better energy efficiency and lower energy costs which would benefit a much wider group of people.

newacc2015

enricoh wrote: »

No doubt there will be anti solar groups kicking off so. Maybe a few candidates in the next election !
Was collecting a spreader I bought off donedeal and in the space of half an hour signs for no sewerage plant wanted, no pylons wanted and no wind farms wanted! Probably missed a phone mast one too!
And the lad I bought it off said there was no work to keep young lads in the area!

Im anti-solar. Why should the tax payer pay for these to be installed when they are incredibly inefficient ? Most of Electricity subsidies in Germany are going on solar. Consumers are paying for these subsidies in the form of higher electricity bills.

Ireland is one of the windy countries in the world. Wind power is a far better option here. We were producing close to 19% of our electricity from wind in 2014. This is the future in Ireland.

Birdnuts

newacc2015 wrote: »

Im anti-solar. Why should the tax payer pay for these to be installed when they are incredibly inefficient ? Most of Electricity subsidies in Germany are going on solar. Consumers are paying for these subsidies in the form of higher electricity bills.

Ireland is one of the windy countries in the world. Wind power is a far better option here. We were producing close to 19% of our electricity from wind in 2014. This is the future in Ireland.

Wind power has its own issues(matching output with peak demand etc.) and like solar its struggling in the UK on the back of subsidy cuts by the new government there. The current government here is mulling whether to extend the current subsidy regime but with Irelands average retail energy prices all ready among the most expensive in the EU, the room to manoeuvre may be tight, plus the extra pylon roll-out to add yet more capacity is costly too and given the non-dispatcheable, intermittent nature of wind may not make much economic sense. Ireland is a windy country in parts but a lot of the wind we get is highly variable and gusty which is a challenge for grid operators and means you need near constant back-up from conventional power sources like coal etc. Colum McCarthy has written some good articles on this subject in the the IFJ over the past few years. Anyway don't want to get into an debate about off-topic stuff so will call a halt on that one.

Tom Hagen

anybody on here actually have a solar farm on their land?

or what are the Pros and Cons of such a development ?

blackdog1

Getting 700-1000 an acre sounds great. Big question for me is will it be classified as commercial land and subject to rates in the future.....

Panch18

Local farmer had planning In recently to do this on 20 hectares of the best land in the country.

Don't know if it was granted or not yet

Surely a combination of wind and wave is the way forward for this country??

_Brian

I'd worry about the feed in tariffs, we've a poor record here and give very little forward assurance..

Also our geolocation wouldn't be as good as other countries to maximise efficiency, having said that I've solar water heater panels on the house and they have far exceeded my expectations and on winter sunny days they can heat water which I didn't expect.. Theyre in 9 years now and have never needed anything doing.

The money quoted above would be a real boon to alot of farmers and I'd say good luck to them if they get it. Personally I think I'd want an advance of a few years, my big fear would be these lads would come in - hack the land to pieces installing infrastructure and then go bust before a years payment was made..

It was interesting locally to see the scramble to have wind turbines sited on farms, the lads that lost out got quite sore and many objections were lodged after the allocations were finalised..

Chuchote

coconnellz wrote: »

But it is only in specific areas in south and south east where the infrastructure is already In place to carry the electrical load to the grid also you need transformer boxes etc

Does the Department do any informational touring seminars about this, letting people know what's available and giving them the lowdown on money in and money out and advantages and disadvantages?

foxy farmer wrote: »

There was a submission for over 20 acres of solar panels lodged recently in relation to ground within 2 miles of me. Grand land that has been growing barley and silage and fattening cattle longer than i have been around.
Marginal ground fair enough but fine productive land? One thing for sure- no fear the lad in question will go into sheep.

Would it be possible to put them on one side of a greenhouse, so that they'd get the sunshine but the plants in the greenhouse would also get some sunshine and the heat?

A friend in southern California has a 'solar system' :P which gives her so much electricity that she watches her meter running backwards as the electricity gets fed into the grid. A few years ago, you'd have said "Ah yeh, California, but…" - however, photovoltaic solar panels have become much more efficient in the last few years and are (I'm told) now much more feasible in Ireland despite our low light.

Best system I ever heard of was back in the 1980s or so - a whisky distillery in some remote part of Scotland: they used turf to fire the still, the peat moss from the turf to grow saleable tomatoes in a greenhouse, and the heat from the still to heat the greenhouse.