Stephen Cadogan: The era of solar farms has truly arrived

In 2024, 11% of the EU's electricity came from solar, overtaking coal, according to industry estimates

In the several EU member states where agrivoltaics are promoted, farmers can have hectares of panels, but keep their EU farm payments at the same time. File picture

An industry which increased 22% across the EU in 2024 is increasingly coming into conflict with rural dwellers.

It was a record-breaking year for solar energy generation and capacity.