0.2% of agricultural land needed for solar to meet renewable energy targets, TDs told

55 to 80% of land used for solar farms can also be used for agricultural purposes such as grazing, Irish Solar Energy Association says

Installing solar panels on just 0.2 per cent of all agricultural land would enable Ireland to meet its renewable energy targets, the Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) told TDs and senators today.

“Our estimate of the necessary solar contribution to meet Ireland’s renewable target entails using the equivalent of about one fifth of one percent of Ireland’s total agricultural land,” Conall Bolger, chief executive of the ISEA, the solar lobby group, said in a submission ...