Octopus Energy Generation invests in three solar farms in Ireland

The three solar farms – two in County Kildare and one in County Cork – are already up and running, with a combined capacity of 43 MW.

One of the Kildare projects has given a disused golf course a new lease of life, swapping fairways for solar rays and turning the land into a source of clean, homegrown energy.

The deal brings Octopus’ portfolio of operational and construction renewables projects in Ireland to more than 300 MW across nine sites. Together, these can generate enough green electricity to power over 82 000 Irish homes a year.

The announcement comes as Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, was in Dublin to speak at a meeting with Energy Ministers from across the European Union.

Octopus, one of Europe’s largest specialist energy transition investors, has been ramping up its investments in Irish renewables in recent years, backing projects that can help deliver the country’s ambition to generate 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

It has invested in green energy developer Circal, which has a 1 GW pipeline of solar farms; Verde Energy Group, which is rolling out more than 50 on-site solar and storage projects to help businesses go green; and Simply Blue Group, which is helping advance fixed and floating offshore wind projects in Ireland’s windy waters.

Darragh O’Brien, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, noted: “This investment from Octopus Energy Generation is hugely welcome as solar growth in Ireland continues to strengthen our energy security and clean electricity capacity. Ireland recently marked two major milestones for utility scale solar, reaching 3 GW of installed solar capacity and setting a new record of 1.3 GW for peak solar generation at a given time on the grid. Octopus’ expansion of their generation business in Ireland, supported by the Ireland Strategy Investment Fund (ISIF), further enhances our renewables capacity, and is another important step in transforming our electricity system for homes, farms, and business across Ireland. I’m also delighted Greg Jackson is participating in our Informal Meeting of EU Energy Ministers. Clean, secure, and affordable energy is the focus of our discussions and Octopus brings valuable expertise and perspectives to that agenda.”

Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation, highlighted: “Ireland has what it takes to become a clean energy powerhouse – and these solar farms will power thousands of Irish homes with green electricity. This is only the beginning, as Octopus is backing solar, wind, and battery projects across Ireland to build a cleaner, more resilient energy system – cutting reliance on imported energy and getting more home-grown power into Irish homes and businesses.”

The latest solar investment was made on behalf of the Sky (ORI SCSp), managed by Octopus Energy Generation, which backs renewables and energy transition infrastructure across the globe.

The ISIF, the country’s sovereign development fund managed by the National Treasury Management Agency, has committed £80 million to the Sky fund.

As part of its long-term commitment to Ireland, Octopus’s generation arm established a Dublin office in 2023 to support its growing local investment activity.

Rebekah Brady, Interim Director of ISIF, added: “ISIF welcomes the ongoing investment activities of the Octopus Energy Generation Sky fund in supporting the energy transition in Ireland. In April 2025, under its climate investment theme, ISIF announced that it would commit a further €1 billion to climate-related investments by 2029, having previously exceeded the original €1 billion target set. The investment in the Sky fund, through which ISIF has supported a range of renewable energy technologies across Ireland, is a good example of that programme in action and we welcome today’s announcement that the fund is investing in three solar farms in Kildare and Cork, which will generate clean power for 10 000 Irish homes.”

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