The Green Party brought a bill to the Seanad on Tuesday seeking to amend planning and development regulations to remove planning restrictions and allow the installation of solar panels on public buildings, including schools, without planning permission.
Senator Pauline O’Reilly said: “Despite Ireland not being the sunniest of countries, we actually have huge potential for solar power. However, we have very few solar panels generating electricity due to outdated policy and red tape.
“Currently, public buildings and schools need to seek planning permission to install even one solar panel and this can take months of paperwork and formalities. Businesses and agricultural buildings are only allowed very small arrays, often not enough to power the building.
“This legislation is all about making it easier, cheaper and quicker for buildings to install solar panels to produce free, clean renewable electricity to use for their electricity needs – computers, kettles, TV’s, whiteboards, photocopiers; wherever a building may use electricity - and thereby reducing their costs and carbon footprint.”
The Green Party is confident the bill will reduce the barriers associated with solar panel installation, including the employment of architects in advance of installation, the submission of multiple planning applications and limitations surrounding ground mounted solar panels.
Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett added: “We need to move quickly to renewable energy to meet our emissions targets, so planning laws that restrict the use of solar panels on schools and community buildings need to be rapidly overhauled. Apart from the climate considerations, allowing such buildings to generate solar energy will reduce their costs.
“Updating this legislation would also clear the way for more solar panels on farm sheds, reducing farmers costs and making agriculture more environmentally friendly.”
