Plans for a solar farm in east Cork are being challenged by residents who claim it will lead to the industrialisation of a rural setting, writes Seán McCárthaigh    

On a day that summer forgot, with grey skies and torrential showers, Belfast International Airport is buzzing with people departing for sunnier climes.

The largest solar energy firm in the UK — Lightsource Renewable Energy — has begun engaging with businesses, schools and local communities in a bid to find potential sites to build solar farms here.

Coillte, the State-owned forestry body, is targeting an expansion into the solar energy market and is likely to begin seeking a development partner imminently.