Solar Ireland: Longer evenings from tonight means solar power generation 'ramps up'

Eva Osborne

The clocks going forward does not just mean losing an hour of sleep; it also means that solar energy generation ramps up.

More than 175,000 homes and businesses around Ireland are now generating their own energy through solar panels, with longer evenings set to further increase those benefits.

Solar Ireland chief executive, Ronan Power, said the clock change means solar can start doing the heavy lifting for Ireland’s energy system:

“Electricity is typically most expensive, and most reliant on fossil fuels in the evening, when people get home and they’re preparing dinner, putting on the TV, heating water and catching up on laundry," he said.

"Thanks to longer evenings, more of that demand can now be met by the energy generated on our rooftops. It’s a real opportunity for households to generate more of their own electricity and get greater value from their solar systems.”

As Ireland moves into the highest solar generation period of the year, Ronan said energy security is an increasing priority, and solar has a critical role to play.

“As capacity continues to scale across solar farms, businesses and domestic rooftops, it is becoming an increasingly important part of how Ireland generates its electricity. At the same time, the system remains heavily reliant on gas, particularly outside peak solar hours.

This highlights the need to continue scaling domestic, low-cost renewable generation alongside battery storage, to strengthen Ireland’s energy resilience and reduce reliance on imported fuels.

"Moments like this show real progress, but how much more still needs to be done to protect Ireland from external energy shocks, such as the current turmoil in the Middle East."