Tag: Solar

New Planning Exemptions for Solar Installations

October 14, 2022 / aoife / 1 Comment

Substantial increases to the existing planning exemption thresholds for solar panels are now available.

Two new sets of regulations entitled the Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) (No.3) Regulations 2022 and the Planning and Development (Solar Safeguarding Zone) Regulations 2022 which have immediate effect have been published on the 7th October 2022 .

Additionally two new classes of exempted development have been introduced.

For clarity, works that benefit from Planning Exemptions do not require Planning Permission.

What are the main changes?

In a nutshell,

the 12sqm/ 50% roof limit which applied to houses has been removed nationwide. There is no rooftop limit on houses, regardless of whether the house is located within or outside of a Solar Safeguarding Zone (SSZ). Houses are now able to erect unlimited rooftop solar panels subject to certain conditions.
The 50sqm/ 50% roof limit which applied to other specified classes of development has been removed for solar developments that are located outside of an SSZ. Such developments, located outside of an SSZ, are able to erect unlimited rooftop solar panels subject to certain conditions.

The Planning and Development (Solar Safeguarding Zone) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 492 of 2022) support the Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) (No.3) Regulations 2022 and set out 43 Solar Safeguarding Zones (SSZs) within which a rooftop limit on solar panels continues to apply. The SSZs are applicable to all classes of development other than houses.

Conditions and Limitations

The Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) (No.3) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 493 of 2022) set out the main amendments to the existing solar planning exemptions contained in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 (the Principal Regulations). These regulations set out the updated conditions and limitations which apply to the various pre-existing classes of development (e.g. houses, industrial, light industrial, business premises and agricultural).

S.I. No. 493 of 2022 – PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACT 2000 (EXEMPTED DEVELOPMENT) (NO. 3) REGULATIONS 2022 Download

The exemptions are aimed at increasing Ireland’s generation of solar energy and combating climate change.

Do You Need Planning Permission to Install Solar Panels?

August 7, 2018 / barros / 1 Comment

THIS POST IS OUTDATED – PLEASE VISIT :New Planning Exemptions for Solar Installations

The SEAI grant for solar Photo-voltaic (PV) panels is a welcome addition available to Irish households built and occupied before 2011.

The grant is available for all new Solar PV installations from Tuesday 31st July 2018 and more information is available here.

Solar Photo-voltaic (PV) works on the principle that energy in the sun is converted to electricity. PV cells are used to convert solar radiation into Direct Current (DC) electricity. The DC electricity is then inverted to Alternating Current (AC) electricity for use in buildings or export to the grid. When light shines on the PV cell an electric field is created across the silicon conducting layers which causes electricity to flow.

The energy available from the sun is measured in kilo Watt hours per square metre per year (kWh/m2/year). The angle and orientation of the solar array is very important. Generally a photo-voltaic installation requires a large southerly facing roof or field space. Panels are either pre-constructed encapsulated glass/plastic or in some cases may take the form of roof tiles or semi-transparent PV glazing units. There are some costly systems which can track the sun over the course of a day throughout the year. A traditional roof up to a pitch angle of 35? is best for PV output. Trees, chimneys and other buildings should be avoided to minimise any shading effect.

Do You Need Planning Permission to Install Solar Panels?

The installation of solar panels on domestic properties is exempt from planning permission under the Planning and Development (Amendment) Regulations 2007, subject to certain conditions.

These conditions are as follows:

The size of any such panel together with any other such panel previously placed on or within the said curtilage, shall not exceed 12 sq. m or 50 per cent of the total roof
area, whichever is the lesser;

Solar Panels - Conditions to be exempt from Planning Permission, Ireland 2018

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The distance between the plane of the wall or a pitched roof and the panel shall not exceed 15 cm;

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The distance between the plan of a flat roof and the panel shall not exceed 50 cm;

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The solar panels shall be a minimum of 50 cm from any edge of the wall or roof on which it is to be mounted;

(see 1st image)

The height of a free standing solar array shall not exceed 2 metres at its highest point, above ground level;

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A free standing solar array shall not be placed on or forward of the front wall of the house;

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The erection of any free standing solar array shall not reduce the area of private open space to the rear or side of the house to less than 25 sq. m.

New Solar PV Pilot Scheme

This new scheme provides a grant towards the purchase and installation of a solar PV system and/or battery energy storage system.

This will take the form of a once-off payment. The eligible technologies will be solar PV systems (including metering etc.) and battery storage systems.

The scheme is expected to operate for 2 years with regular reviews expected every 6 months.

The maximum grant support levels are as follows:

Solar PV Systems €700/kWp
Battery Storage €1,000

Eligible systems are:

Solar PV Systems up to 2kWp
(about 6 to 8 panels)
Solar PV system with battery storage up to 4kWp
(Battery to meet scheme requirements)

Homeowners are required to complete a Building Energy Rating (BER) on their home after the supported works have been completed.

Grants may only be claimed after the measures are fully completed and the contractor has been paid by or has entered into a financing agreement with the homeowner.

Disclaimer: This is a brief summary of the regulations with regards when planning permission is required and is provided for general guidance only. For full details contact your local council planning department. The relevant Regulations and the Planning Authority should always be consulted when in doubt.

Guided Factory Tour at Fronius in Austria

April 16, 2012 / barros / 0 Comments

Fronius creates new technologies and solutions for monitoring and controlling energy. They are technological leaders in the field of battery charging systems, welding technology and solar electronics.

This tour was part of the Renewable Energy Research Trip to Austria that took place in November 2011.

The factory is impressive but unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos inside. The 38,000 sq.m. building features an innovative energy concept with one of the largest photovoltaic systems in Austria (615 Kwp/3600 sq.m.), a biomass power station (1500kw) and a geothermal system for heating and cooling.

Fronius Factory – Roof with solar photovoltaics

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Just the photovoltaic system on its own could cover the annual electricity consumption of 160 households.

View to the Fronius “Kinderland” creche

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Added extras, such as the Fronius “Kinderland” creche and staff restaurant, cater for the wellbeing of employees.

I was also very impressed with their HyLOG project.

“HyLOG” stands for Hydrogen powered Logistic System. The ambitious goal of this project is the implementation of an emissions-free and more efficient in-house logistics system in a real industrial application environment – in this case, at the Fronius facility in Sattled, Austria.

Fronius Austria Hydrogen Energy HyLog Project

Fronius HyLog Project

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Instead of batteries, logistical vehicles at the Fronius Sattledt location are operated using environmentally-friendly hydrogen.

The hydrogen used for the HyLOG vehicle is produced by Fronius in-house via an electrolysis process powered by the 615 kW PV system on the roof of the building. The hydrogen is then stored and made available for refueling via an in-house filling station infrastructure. The fuel cell drive integrated into the vehicle is used to convert the hydrogen into energy to operate the vehicle.

1. PV modules. 2. Electrolyser. 3. Hydrogen reservoir. 4. Hydrogen tank. 5. Fuel cell (on-board). 6. Electronic drive unit (on-board). 7. Inverter. 8. Sattledt production facility. 9. HyLOG truck.

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Here’s how it works: The PV modules (1) capture the sunlight and turn it into DC current. Power needed immediately at the Sattledt production facility (8) is made available by way of the electronic inverter module (7). The rest of the electric power is used by the electrolyser (2) to split water into its twin constituents, oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is stored in a reservoir (3), and the oxygen is released into the atmosphere. The HyLOG vehicles are refuelled with this stored hydrogen at a filling station (4). Together, the fuel cell (5) and electronic drive unit (6) integrated in the HyLOG truck (9) turn the hydrogen into motive power. The main benefit of this zero-emission materials-handling solution is that refuelling with hydrogen only takes a few minutes, whereas conventional battery-powered warehouse trucks have to be recharged for 8 to 10 hours every time.

Isabel Barros