Solar Farms Ireland – utility-scale projects

Solar Now can offer independent advice and technical analysis for your utility scale project including forecasting outputs for the complete project lifecycle, and providing detailed analysis of alternate operational strategies.

We can also provide valuable assistance for landowners who want to explore the viability of a utility-scale solar development on their land.

Please Contact Us to discuss your project.

There is a growing investment in solar photovoltaics, however as the following examples show, such investments are not always managed for optimum output or returns.

Pictured is one of their advertised projects, which in our estimation could have been better executed as this photograph clearly shows geometric shading on every row of solar modules except the first row

At the time the photo was taken this utility-scale solar farm is producing a fraction of it’s potential output. The error here is basic, and costly.

In this case the MPPT software may experience difficulty in optimising so many variables per string. Any pre-construction modelling, or technical evaluations done for this project are rendered ineffective due to the choice of cheaper mounting system.

It is important to carry out appropriate and comprehensive due diligence for your project, and to use the correct pre-defined parameters during construction of utility-scale solar farms otherwise the outcomes can be severely negative as demonstrated above.

Ibid.

Please Contact Us to discuss your next project.

Largest solar farm in the world – powered by ABB components.

In contrast to the above we would like to offer an example of a well designed, efficient, utility-scale solar plant implemented using ABB components. Currently the largest solar farm in the world, this 648 MWp solar project is powering around 150,000 homes.

The plant is well designed and correctly spaced.

Each module has a clear view of the sky and is not impeded by any adjacent modules. Each solar module shows uniformity in tilt and azimuth meaning that the MPPT software can function efficiently to produce the optimum output for each part of the array.

Update: Largest solar farm in the world may currently be the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, which analysts predict will be 5 GW when completed and will cover an estimated 77 km sq.

Please Contact Us to discuss how we can assist your next project.

Eli Lilly Solar Farm completed in 2021

Congratulations to Eli Lilly, Enerpower and the SEAI on completion of this 5.6 MWp utility-scale solar plant in 2021.

Looks a quality piece of work!

Every large industry in Ireland should consider one of these as part of their energy security strategy.

Contact Solar Now to get started!

Millvale Solar Farm completed in 2022

The recent completion of Millvale Solar Farm near Ashbourne, County Wicklow marks the first grid-connected solar park in Ireland. This 8 MWp development uses 33,600 solar panels and covers an area of 62.5 acres. Each panel is estimated to have a peak power of 240 Wp and an efficiency in the range of 14-16% which was common for panels of this specification.

Enduring Connection Process Round 2 ECP-2.2

The CRU’s ECP-2.2 applicants have been selected by the DSO and a summary of the outcome is given in our recent news article here.

47 new utility-scale solar farms are in the pipeline and we are excited to see how things progress!

Gillinstown Solar Farm energised in 2022

An announcement by ESB Networks in December 2022 highlighted the energisation of one of Ireland’s largest solar farms to date at Gillinstown, Co Meath.

Gillinstown Solar Farm is one of two major developments from Highfield Solar Ltd in Ireland, and represents a significant milestone in Ireland’s solar deployments.

For further information see our recent article on Ireland’s licenced solar farms here.

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