190,000 Irish homes are powered by solar energy, but this is just “scratching the surface” according to an industry leader.

Solar power is one of the fastest growing parts of Ireland’s energy landscape despite the sector is facing questions around infrastructure, investment, and capacity.

On Down to Business with Bobby Kerr, Bobby Kerr sat down with three industry leaders to look at the future of the sector.

Morgan Pierce, CEO of SolarSmart, founded the company in 2020 as the solar industry was “getting off the ground.”

“The SEAI [Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland] grant had been in play for about two years and it was absolutely the right time to get into the business.”

Ms. Pierce credited the growth in the sector to grants made available to early adopters, and friends showing each other the money they were making from selling power into the grid.

“Transitioning to renewables is a kind of an energy security point now”

Also on Down to Business with Bobby Kerr, Justin Brown, CEO and co-founder of Power Capital Renewable Energy, said that he worked in solar energy in Germany but “came back because we could see the opportunity for our sector” to grow.

Discussing the industry’s growth, Mr. Brown said the renewable energy transition is becoming as much about energy security as about being eco-friendly.

However, he noted challenges with the time it takes for a solar energy site to be connected to the grid; “I've got projects that are kind of sitting there since kind of April waiting to be connected”

‘We don’t have the ability to store energy’

Declan Cullinane, Managing Director of Amerenco Ireland, said on the show that solar energy cannot be used fully due to energy battery capacity.

Mr. Cullinane said that EirGrid, who manages the electricity grid in Ireland, needs “substantial investment” and that they are looking to industry to deliver infrastructure projects.