Community Solar in Ireland
Ireland now has 168 utility-scale solar farms connected or contracted, totalling 1,781 MW, and most of them are owned by developers and investment funds. Community solar is the other model: a solar farm owned by the people who live around it, with the profits staying in the parish. This guide covers how community solar works in Ireland, the projects already built or underway, and how you can join, invest or offer land.
Featured community solar projects
Advertise hereFeature your project here
Running a community solar farm, co-op or share offer? Put it in front of people across Ireland who are looking to get involved.
Advertise hereAd space availableFeature your project here
Running a community solar farm, co-op or share offer? Put it in front of people across Ireland who are looking to get involved.
Advertise hereWho should benefit from the solar boom?
In September 2026 the Irish Times published an opinion piece by Sadhbh O'Neill, "Benefits of Ireland's solar boom should not go only to the big energy firms", which drew on our map of solar farms in Ireland. Community ownership is the most direct answer to that question, and it is why the projects below matter.
How community solar works in Ireland
A guaranteed price
A solar farm needs a reliable income to get built. The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auctions give winning projects a fixed price for their electricity, and the auctions have a separate community category. In RESS-1 in 2020, seven community projects won, five of them solar. From RESS-2 onwards, community projects have to be fully community owned, and ten won in that round, eight of them solar. Support for smaller community projects has since moved to the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS).
Local ownership
The farm is usually owned by a co-operative or a community company. Local people buy shares or become members, and the group either runs the project itself or partners with a developer. Under the EU rules adopted in Ireland, these groups can register as a renewable energy community (REC).
A community benefit fund on every RESS farm
Even where the farm is owned by a big developer, every RESS-supported project must pay €2 per MWh it generates into a fund for the surrounding area, which local clubs and groups can apply to.
A grid connection and planning
Like any solar farm, a community project needs planning permission from the county council and a grid connection offer from ESB Networks or EirGrid. Our solar farm planning tracker shows how many applications each county is getting.
Community solar projects in Ireland
Built, contracted and planned solar farms with community ownership or community investment. Sizes are the farm's export capacity where it has been published.
Lisduff and Claremorris 2 solar farms
ConsentedClaremorris & Western District Energy Co-op, RESS-1 and RESS-2
Planning and grid secured
Lisbrien solar farm, Nenagh
In developmentCommunity RESS-2 project backed by Community Power
New planning application lodged October 2026
Coolnagloose Community Solar Farm
ConsentedListed as a community solar farm in the SEAI Solar Atlas
Contracted (grid offer in place)
Barnland Community Solar Farm
ConsentedListed as a community solar farm in the SEAI Solar Atlas
Contracted (grid offer in place)
Marlinstown landfill solar park, Mullingar
In developmentMullingar Sustainable Energy Community, co-op planned
Restarting after its grid offer lapsed
Aran Islands community solar farm
In developmentAran Islands Energy Co-op (370 kW of rooftop solar already installed)
Planned
Kerry Solar Farm, Killorglin
ConsentedBrighter Kerry, community shareholders via an EIIS share offer
Raising funds, 2026 to 2028
Sandford Solar Farm
ConsentedEden Solar Farm Development, funded through the Green Crowd EIIS platform
SRESS approved, due to operate in 2027
Running a community solar project?
If your project is missing or the details have changed, email info@solarinfo.ie and we will update it. Projects can also add a logo, website link and call to action to their card. See the advertising options.
Community benefit funds from solar farms
You do not need to own a solar farm to benefit from one. Every RESS-supported farm pays €2 per MWh into a fund for the surrounding area, and some developers add their own. These are some of the larger funds from developer-owned solar farms. Check with the fund administrator for current deadlines.
Taduff Solar Park
Under construction, operating from 2028
Foigha Solar Farm
Permission granted, under appeal
Timahoe North Solar Farm
Operating, run by SECAD
Solar farm developer?
Promote an open funding round or your search for land to the people around your project.
Advertise hereHow to get involved
Join your Sustainable Energy Community
SEAI's Sustainable Energy Communities network is where most community energy projects start. SECs can get funding for an energy master plan, and some, like Mullingar's, go on to develop a solar farm.
Become a member or shareholder
Co-ops raise money from local members, and some projects sell shares through regulated crowdfunding or EIIS share offers. These are long-term, unlisted investments and your capital is at risk, so take independent advice first.
Offer land
A 5 MW farm typically needs around 25 to 40 acres close to a grid connection. Community groups and developers both look for landowners willing to lease. See what solar farms pay per acre and our farm solar guide if you are weighing up solar on your own farm instead.
Apply to a community benefit fund
If a RESS solar farm is being built near you, its community benefit fund will open for applications. Check our solar farms map to see what is planned or operating in your county.
Community solar vs solar on your own roof
Owning a share of a community solar farm does not lower your own electricity bill directly: the farm sells its power to the grid and pays a return to its members. Rooftop solar does cut your bill, and you are paid for what you export through the Clean Export Guarantee. Many people do both. If you want to start with your own roof, see what solar panels cost in Ireland and the SEAI solar grant. Businesses and farms can look at commercial solar.
Advertise on this page
This page is read by people looking to join, invest in or live beside a solar farm, alongside our solar farms map, which the Irish Times cited in its coverage of Ireland's solar boom. All placements are clearly labelled as sponsored and do not affect our editorial content.
Featured project
A top-of-page slot with your logo, a short pitch and a link to your sign-up or share offer.
Enhanced project card
Add your logo, a website link and a call to action to your project card.
Community benefit fund notice
Promote an open funding round to the clubs and groups around your farm, on this page and the county page.
Landowner search
Reach farmers weighing up solar on this page, our solar farms map and our farm solar pages.
Sponsored write-up
A clearly labelled feature in our news section on your project, fund or share offer.
County page sponsor
A sponsored slot on the solar page for the county your project is in.
Community solar FAQs
What is community solar?
Community solar is a solar farm that is owned, wholly or partly, by the people who live near it, usually through a co-operative, a community company or a renewable energy community. Profits from selling the electricity stay in the area instead of going only to a developer or investment fund.
How do community solar programs work in Ireland?
In Ireland, community solar means a local group owns a solar farm, usually through a co-op or community company. Members buy shares, the farm sells its electricity at a fixed price under RESS or SRESS, and the profits go back to members and local projects. Ireland does not currently have the subscription model used in the US, where households sign up to a share of a solar farm and get credits on their own electricity bill.
Is there a community solar project near me?
Check the project list on this page and our map of solar farms in Ireland. If nothing is close, your local Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) is the best place to start, and any RESS solar farm near you will have a community benefit fund that local groups can apply to.
Are there community-owned solar farms in Ireland?
Yes. The first Renewable Electricity Support Scheme auction (RESS-1, 2020) had a community category, and seven community projects won, five of them solar. Davidstown in Co Wexford, a 5 MW farm, has been operating since 2022. RESS-2 added ten more community projects, eight of them solar. Others, such as the Marlinstown landfill project in Mullingar and a planned solar farm on the Aran Islands, are at earlier stages.
How are community solar farms funded in Ireland?
Most combine a guaranteed electricity price with local money. Larger community projects compete in the community category of the RESS auctions, where from RESS-2 onwards they must be fully community owned. Smaller projects are now supported through the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS). The rest of the money comes from member shares, loans, crowdfunding, and in some cases share offers that qualify for EIIS tax relief.
What is a community benefit fund?
Every solar or wind farm supported by RESS has to pay €2 for every MWh it generates into a community benefit fund for the surrounding area. Local clubs, schools and groups can apply to it, so even a farm owned by a big developer has to share some of its income locally.
Can I invest in a solar farm in Ireland?
Some projects sell shares to the public, through a co-op share issue, a regulated crowdfunding platform or an EIIS-qualifying share offer. These are unlisted investments: your money can be tied up for years and you can lose it. Read the offer documents and talk to an independent financial adviser before investing. Nothing on this page is financial advice.
How can my community start a solar farm?
Most groups start by joining or setting up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) with SEAI, which can fund an energy master plan for the area. From there you need suitable land, a grid connection offer, planning permission and a route to market such as SRESS or RESS. Energy Co-operatives Ireland and the community energy advisors in your local energy agency can help with the co-op structure.
Sources
- EirGrid, RESS-2 final auction results: eirgrid.ie
- Government of Ireland, RESS-1 auction results: gov.ie
- SEAI Solar Atlas: maps.seai.ie/apps/solarAtlas
- The Irish Times, Sadhbh O'Neill, 29 September 2026: irishtimes.com
Fact-checked by John Rooney, Solar Energy Editor. Editorial policy
John Rooney is the editor of Solar Info and has been covering the Irish solar energy market since 2023. He fact-checks all content against official SEAI data and maintains relationships with SEAI-registered installers across Ireland.
Start with your own roof
Community farms take years to build. Rooftop solar can be on your house within weeks. Get free quotes from SEAI-registered installers in your area.