Planning regulation on the installation of solar panels has been loosened thanks to new exemptions.

Planning permission will no longer be required for larger installations of solar panels across residential rooftops, farm buildings, schools, community centres and a range of commercial buildings.

Green Party NI representative Steven Matthews TD confirmed planning exemptions for solar panels are expected to be completed and ready by the end of June 2022.

Deputy Matthews said: "Solar power, in both individual rooftops and at utility scale, has huge potential in supplying our energy needs and helping to achieve the targets in our Climate Action Plan. The Microgeneration Support Scheme will also allow residents to get paid for excess energy they generate. Payments for excess energy have commenced and the roll out of smart electricity meters to facilitate individuals to 'feed-back' into the national grid is accelerating.

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"The overall package of grants, feed-back tariffs and ease of planning regulations makes sense in the context of the immediate energy crisis, but also for our longer-term objectives for accelerating our renewable energy objectives and reducing fossil fuel dependency. There is huge potential across every rooftop in Ireland to install solar. This will create thousands of jobs, increase reliability and resilience in our energy supply and lead to a decarbonised future. These measures support key government policies on energy, our transition to Net Zero and will help us to achieve our EU renewable energy targets."

This announcement comes on the back of a bill brought to the Seanad by the Green Party in June 2021. The Bill introduces planning exemptions to the Planning and Development Regulations, which will allow for the installation of solar panels on public buildings, including schools, without planning permission.