SSE Renewables unveils hybrid solar and energy storage co-location project in Ireland
Published by Abi Larkin,
Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
SSE Renewables has taken its first steps into solar generation and associated battery storage in Ireland, with plans to develop a co-located project at its existing operational wind farm asset in the country’s ‘sunny South East’.
The company has unveiled proposals to develop a 21 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) array (solar farm) and 10 MW/2 hour battery energy storage system (BESS) facility on lands near its existing 18 turbine Richfield wind farm at Bridgetown in County Wexford – traditionally known as Ireland’s sunniest county.
This latest action from SSE Renewables is part of the company’s ongoing strategy to champion clean energy and radically increase renewable generation to address climate change head on.
This includes doubling the company’s installed renewable energy capacity by 2026 as part of its net zero acceleration programme, a fully funded investment programme to deliver the low carbon energy infrastructure needed to radically reduce carbon emissions.
SSE Renewables recently launched a fleet-wide assessment of sites where battery storage systems and solar generation technology could be co-located with existing onshore wind farms. Co-locating solar and battery technology near each other at wind farm sites has been identified as an important step in supporting the production of clean homegrown energy in Ireland and the UK.
Richfield wind farm in Wexford has been in operation since 2006 and can power approximately 18 000 homes annually and helps to abate approximately 22 000 tpy of harmful carbon dioxide. The proposed solar farm would be located in the townlands of Hooks and Yoletown while the proposed BESS would be co-located adjacent to the existing substation at Richfield wind farm.
The development of the project will be subject to changes in Ireland’s current grid connection consenting regime to allow for ‘hybrid’ technology grid connections to facilitate co-location of generation sources.
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
Energy Global's Winter 2022 issue
The Winter 2022 issue of Energy Global hosts an array of technical articles focusing on wind, solar, energy storage, geothermal, and more. This issue also features a regional report on the Australian renewables sector.
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/electric-hybrid/25012023/sse-renewables-unveils-hybrid-solar-and-energy-storage-co-location-project-in-ireland/
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