Irish energy company Flogas has unveiled ambitious plans to deliver €50m (£41.87m) of solar projects over the next five years under its new solar-as-a-service programme.
Solar as a Service (SaaS) offerings allow companies to reduce emissions and energy bills by installing rooftop and ground-mounted solar at their locations, without the need for upfront capital. In partnership with Alternative Energy Ireland (AEI) and Wewise, the SaaS offering provides tailor-made financing packages, installation, real-time monitoring and maintenance for on-site solar projects. Steven Bray, managing director at AEI, explained that it “enables companies to harness solar energy without the financial burden of purchasing and maintaining the technology.”
Through this initiative, Flogas is targeting 50 MW of installed solar PV capacity at approximately 100 major companies in Ireland, which is expected to generate approximately 50 GWh of energy annually. Barry Murphy, director of energy services and renewable energy at Flogas, called this investment “central” to Flogas’ sustainable energy ambitions, adding that “it supports our vision to become a green energy leader through the adoption of SaaS among large companies, ultimately reducing CO2 emissions. emissions and energy costs”.
Irish solar still needs growth
The Irish solar sector is still active on a relatively small scale, with only 1.9% of Ireland’s electricity supply coming from solar PV installations. By the end of 2023, Ireland had 700 MW of installed solar capacity.
While the most recent round of the Irish Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS 4) saw the purchase of 960MW of solar energy, a result that energy market analysis firm Aurora Energy Research called “surprisingly” successful, business solar installations continue to be hampered by the broader issue of high upfront costs for solar installations.
However, there are some signs that the Irish solar market is becoming increasingly important. As part of its latest European Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) report, which showed that the average price of European solar PPAs is starting to stabilize after an extended period of decline, LevelTen Energy has chosen Ireland for the first time in to portray. Ireland had the highest average solar PPA price of all European countries profiled, with an average price of £101.85/MWh.
Several major renewable energy companies have started developing their first solar projects on the Emerald Isle. Ørsted announced in September that it had contracted Voltalia to build its first Irish solar power plant, a 128 MW project in County Carlow. Meanwhile, Baywa.re recently secured planning permission for its own solar debut in Ireland, the 60MWp Springmount Solar Farm.
Highfield Solar has also increased its solar energy ambitions in Ireland. The company, a joint venture between renewable energy developers ib vogt, Highfield Energy and Aura Power, plus Coöperatieve Rabobank UA, announced earlier this month that it had secured an undisclosed amount to finance the 70MWp Clonin North solar power station and 62MWp North Arklow project. .
