Donal Hickey: Warming up to the idea of solar energy

EU policy aspires to all new residences having rooftop panels by 2029. Business and industry are likely to follow. Farmers can also make savings by generating their electricity from the sun

Given our wet climate, the idea of making electricity from the sun’s rays was once treated by some as a joke. We have also been among the most difficult countries in relation to planning for panels. Now, obstacles are being removed and the target is to have a million panels installed

It’s a dull day in late October. The talk, ironically, is about generating electricity from the sun, prompting memories of meeting a man, who was away ahead of his time, many years ago.

In the 1980s, electrician Martin Murphy placed solar panels on the roof of his home, in Rathmore, County Kerry. I wrote a story in this newspaper about this rather unusual happening for the time, well before universal concerns about global warming, or the need to find renewable sources of energy.