John Gibbons: East Cork solar farm row shows politicians must get off the fence on renewables

Cutting a massive fossil fuel import bill by developing clean, secure, and locally produced energy should be the priority

Last summer, peak solar power on the Irish grid was the equivalent of the output of three gas-fired power stations. File picture

One of the best news stories for Ireland this decade has been the outstanding success of our fledgling solar industry. 

Five years ago, it was virtually non-existent, yet today, over 100,000 households are selling electricity back to the grid, with this number increasing at the rate of 750 a week. Ireland is on track to have a whopping 8 GW of solar deployed nationally by 2030, mostly supplied by commercial solar farms.