LARGE-scale solar farm projects have made headlines over the past year, with dozens of new projects seeking planning permission, securing approval or currently under construction.

These projects are not always popular with the agricultural community, or indeed the equine sector, especially when high quality land is being tied up. However, for some land owners a solar farm will make financial sense and may even be a necessity to keep cash coming in.

This week we spoke to P.J. McCarthy, owner of Soleire Renewables, an Irish-owned company, which he says has a proven track record of developing utility-scale solar farms in Ireland, Britain and throughout Europe.

McCarthy is from a farming family and he has friends in the racing and show jumping worlds, so he is familiar with the sensitivities around using farmland to generate solar energy.

“Every sector in business is having to make strides towards more sustainable practices,” he said. “Land management is no different.

“We have to make the most of our natural resources and that includes the power of the sun. We are engaging with land owners who want to diversify, while also holding on to their asset.”

McCarthy is aware of the objections raised by some horse owners to solar farms, but he insists solar panels can “co-locate” with agriculture and even horses. “There are no moving parts and we have carried out studies, which show that overhead power lines give more exposure to electromagnetic fields than solar panels. There’s no noise, glint, glare or reflection from solar panels - the whole point of them is to absorb the sunlight. There is no risk to their day-to-day business or to their assets, the horses.”

So, if a landowner wants to know more about what’s involved, what should they do first? “People are welcome to email me and I will call them back,” McCarthy says. “I am very hands-on and I will respect and listen to the landowner before giving guidance.”

To make it viable, a lot of land is needed. “Sometimes I get a call from a farmer with 30 or 40 acres they can make available, and I tell them they need to cluster together with neighbours. The optimum size for a solar farm is 400-450 acres. With that amount of land, the owners can expect to receive between €1,000 and €1,300 per acre per year for 40 years, and that is index-linked. We lease the land and we take full responsibility for maintaining the hedges, et cetera.

“We have extensive experience doing this and we do it very successfully. We only take on locations where we believe it will work.”

Email: pj@soleirerenewable.com

Tel: 087 260 6468