There’s been an urgent call for discussions surrounding a Green Party Bill on solar panels. The bill is set to change the country’s landscape by introducing exemptions to planning regulations in order for solar panels to be installed on public buildings without planning permission.
According to Senator Pauline O’Reilly “planning laws that restrict the use of solar panels on schools, farms and community buildings have all but stopped development and need to be urgently overhauled.” The added prospects of the bill are the following:
- Reduce the barriers associated with solar panel installation, including the employment of architects in advance of installation
- The submission of multiple planning applications
- Limitations surrounding ground mounted solar panels
O’Reilly says, “at the moment, schools and public buildings need to seek planning permission to install even one solar panel and this can take months of paperwork and formalities.”
Reiterating the necessity for the bill, O’Reilly comments that this bill opens up opportunities for schools and other public buildings to install enough panels to finally power some or all of their electricity needs and to sell any excess electricity that they generate back to the grid.
The bill was debated at committee stage yesterday in the Seanad, and an update on the matter is expected within coming weeks.
LSL News.