170 acre South Offaly Solar Farm is given go ahead

 A 170 acre solar farm in South Offaly has been given the go ahead.

  The farm will be in the Killyon, Rath and Fivealley areas and is overseen by Summit Solar Ltd. It will be a 62 Megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) development divided over two different pieces of land, the first in the townland of Parkmore, close to Rath and Fivealley, and the second in Clonbeale Beg Glebe and Rathure, North of Killyon.
  Kinnitty Cllr John Clendennen welcomed the news. "There's a realisation among most people now that our planet is facing a crisis and we need projects like this solar farm to try and fight this problem." He said that he's heard no objections from locals to this project. "Most people are accepting of the reality now that the transition from carbon to renewable is necessary so that we avoid future catastrophe."
  The councillor pointed out that an important practical consideration for renewable energy projects like Summit Solar's is access / connectivity to the grid. "We have this in Offaly," he remarked, "a ready access to the grid."
  The councillor added that while this green light for a new solar farm is good news there is a lot of important work to be done. "Retrofitting is too expensive. That needs to come down. We need more homes engaged in micro generation of energy in terms of solar panels and heat pumps. Those alternative forms of energy provision need to be made financially more attractive for people."
  The councillor pointed out that electricity bills remain too high for people and that, as more and more land is devoted to wind and solar farms, domestic electricity bills should start to reduce.
  The 170 acre solar farm will be connected by underground cables to another already permitted 45MW solar development stretching over a further 111 acres in the Rathmount, Mullanafawnia, and Russellspenn townlands in the Rath and Killyon region. This 111 acre project, granted in 2020, will see 105,000 photovoltaic panels put in place.
  The Summit Solar 170 acre project was first submitted to the Council's planning office at the end of July 2022. It was then put on hold for a time while Offaly County Council sought a large amount of further information from the company before making a final decision. The council asked questions about the site selection process, an assessment of any impact on archaeological remains and the height of the solar panels. Summit Solar said the panels will be a maximum height of 2.5 metres.
  The Council granted planning permission on June the 20th, subject to compliance with 19 separate conditions, including the payment of €744,000 in development contributions to the council. One of the conditions is to restore the site to its original condition, and dismantle and remove the elements of the development should energy generation cease on the site.
  The farm will include 24 Power Hubs with an inverter and transformer, two single-storey communications building, sub-station building, storage premises, GRP kiosk and twelve CCTV cameras mounted on four metre high poles.
  The farm will not require any permanent on-site staff following its construction.

  Cllr Clendennen also told the Tribune that he's a keen advocate of domestic solar panels. He added that the transition from carbon to renewable has been painful for many in Offaly and that this should be acknowledged. He recently put a motion to a monthly meeting of Offaly County Council which stated that, "In light of the closure of Ireland's last peat briquette production facility at Derrinlough and the ongoing challenge of higher electricity charges, Offaly County Council calls on the Ministers with responsibility for Housing and Planning, to introduce a policy that all public interest housing developments include the installation of solar PV panels as standard." The motion was passed by the Council.
  The councillor told the Tribune that he agrees with those who say we must remain conscious of our heritage while at the same time pursuing cleaner forms of energy production. He agreed we shouldn't turn our backs on things like real fires with real flames. "In my own business I've installed a pellet burning stove. Customers like to sit in front of real, flickering flames while enjoying a drink; especially on a winter's day."