# Solar Power
This year
2023
VAT rate on supply and installation of solar panels to be abolished
The move is expected to be signed off by the Government this week.
Eamon Ryan says plans are afoot for 'more solar in next three years than 20 years of renewables'
He made the statement before the Oireachtas Climate Committee today.
Cumbersome grant system holding some back from solar PV uptake, says expert
The chair of the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation likened the experience of securing a grant to a “bureaucratic nightmare”.
Last year
2022
Planning permission no longer required to install solar panels on houses
Exemptions also apply to a range of non-domestic buildings.
Most energy suppliers are still not paying households for solar power despite August promise
Only one energy supplier could confirm that it started to pay microgenerators – here’s a breakdown of what each company said.
Microgenerators are supposed to be able to sell back any surplus power they produce to their energy supplier.
Only one supplier could confirm that it started to pay microgenerators before 31 August in line with an assurance by the national energy regulator.
At least eight had not yet commenced payment, Lauren Boland reports.
Government urged to hasten payments for surplus solar power ahead of feared energy shortages
Homes, farms and businesses will soon be able to sell surplus renewable energy back to the grid but have been waiting months for details.
Homes, farms and businesses will soon be able to sell surplus renewable energy back to the grid but have been waiting months for details.
Industry experts and Opposition politicians have said that the scheme should have been rolled out quickly and widely.
Most energy suppliers have not yet started payments but are planning to do so in the coming weeks and months, Lauren Boland reports.
All time
Poll: Would you get solar panels for your home?
Solar panels can be used to generate electricity or hot water.
Vandals drill through 88 solar-powered lights in Co Cork
The lights cost over €4,500 to install last month.
This Young Scientist project aims to revolutionise education in refugee camps
It consists of solar panels and a lead acid battery from an alarm or car, with a Raspberry Pi – a tiny and cheap computer – to provide processing power.
ESB and Bord na Móna to develop solar power for 150,000 homes
Renewable energy in Ireland is currently predominantly generated from the wind.
This solar-powered plane is nearing the end of a historic trip
The plane will soon become the first solar-powered airplane to circle the globe without using fuel.
This fuelless plane may just be changing the future of air travel
Solar Impulse 2 flew across the Pacific at night with no fuel.
Ireland's state power supplier is planning a major leap into solar energy
The ESB scheme could increase installed solar capacity more than a hundredfold.
Check out the €4.4 BILLION Gigafactory - Tesla's self-sustainable desert complex for making electric cars
The enormous Nevada complex is set to fire out Tesla’s amazing Model 3 from 2017.
The next Kindle could give you a compelling reason to upgrade
A rechargeable cover with solar panels could be a way to charge the next Kindle, which will be announced next week.
The tallest building in the world will be an Iraqi skyscraper
With its iconic ‘veil’ of solar panels, the four-tower behemoth will produce as much energy as it consumes — a breakthrough in tall-building design.
Tesla wants your home to be battery powered
It could allow homes to be self-sufficient in terms of power.
Could the solar eclipse cause blackouts in Ireland?
Solar power has become a much more common way of generating power than after the last eclipse.
It's something: The sun is set to save Dublin €21,000 a year
A number of the council buildings are set to be fitted with solar panels.
A plane powered entirely by the sun is a step closer to doing a round-the-world trip next year
Solar Impulse 2 carried out a flight lasting two hours and 15 minutes, half an hour longer than scheduled, its German test pilot Markus Scherdel said.
Ford set to unveil solar-powered hybrid car
The Ford C-Max concept car uses a special concentrator lens to direct strong sun rays onto its solar panels.
Japanese plan to turn moon into giant power plant
Robots would be used to build a ‘luna ring’ of solar panels on the surface in an ambitious project.
Could this solar-powered plane allow us to fly without fuel?
A 13-year-old project, privately funded in Switzerland, has seen a plane flying across America – by day AND by night.
Solar investment business to hire 25 new people in Dublin
Solar 21, based in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin, already has 21 people working for them.
How this plane is travelling across America without any fuel
Powered entirely by the sun, the plane can fly by day or night but it will never be able to carry passengers.
90% of construction industry insiders believe wind should be primary energy source
A survey has shown that most industry insiders also think €100 or higher would be a fair water charge for a four person household.
Video: NASA set to launch Jupiter exploration spacecraft
Unmanned solar-powered spacecraft is due to be launched later today – but will take five years to reach its destination.
Solar panels may be used for smartphones and tablets
Apple and Samsung are planning to use solar panels for consumer electronics like smartphones and computer tablets.
Japan scraps plans to build any further nuclear plants
Following the result of the country’s nuclear crisis, the Japanese Prime Minister has announced that Japan needs to “start from scratch” and embrace renewable sources of energy.
