Almost 50,000 families in Carlow and Kilkenny could save €450 a year on their electricity bills if they installed solar panels on their roof.
Research from UCC has found that 16,753 homes in Carlow could install 10 panels, which would cut total energy consumption in the county by 28%
The number’s even bigger in Kilkenny with 32,531 house deemed suitable and it could cut the demand for power in the county by 36%
The study says that domestic rooftop solar panels could produce enough electricity to power one in four Irish Homes and meet 8% of the country’s total renewable targets.
Kilkenny man Conall Bolger is CEO of the Irish Solar Energy Association, speaking with KCLR News he says it’s impressive research. He added it might be ambitious, but if all the suitable households got on board, it would have a huge effect in tackling climate change.
“Study found it was like one million homes that could accommodate 10 solar panels and that was potential to produce enough power to power one in 4 homes in the country, so that’s material. Moving slightly beyond that to talk about emissions, the battle against climate change. One of the really exciting things about doing this is it’s something that people themselves can do at an individual level to actually contribute meaningfully that it also has a finical saving is an added bonus but you’re enlisting the population of Ireland in the battle against climate change.”
