Clonakilty

Clonakilty is set to deliver on its pledge to be the first town in Ireland to go off-grid. Renewable energy firm Amerenco has planning permission for a solar farm in Shannonvale that has the potential to provide enough electricity to power a town the size of Clonakilty. The community is working to finalise the purchase of the scheme and will bid to supply power to the national grid under the State's new Renewable Electricty Supply Scheme (RESS).
Construction work is expected to start on the multi-million Euro project in 2023. Over its lifetime, the 100% community owned development is expected to become an income generating asset, with all profits reinvested back into the communtiy to fund developments such as playgrounds and youth centres. It will be debt-financed and there will be an opportunity for local people to invest and be part of the innovation. This is another first for the trailblazing town which was also the country's first Fairtrade and first Autism Friendly Town.
Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce has been working hard to make this happen since is got a 'Cool Community' status from the Cool Planet Group after committing to a range of carbon-reducing measures in 2019. Chamber chairperson Orla O'Donovan and a dedicated working group, introduced various sustainable intitatives since, but the ultimate aim was to go off-grid entirely and that's now coming to fruition.
Johnny O'Donovan, member of Clon's RESS committee said they recognised the massive potential of the project from the ourset. "The profit generated over its lifetime will go directly back into the community" he explained.
Cork South West TD and vice-chair of the Oireachtas committee on Climate Action, Christopher O'Sullivan recently took part in a meeting between the RESS committee and Cork County Council to discuss potential partnerships to build the solar farm.&nbsp;
He said "If successful, it will mean Clonakilty will be a renewable energy leader in Ireland. The Climate Action Bill has set some very ambitious targets which won't be easy to achieve. But towns like Clonakilty are showing how co-operation and a little imagination could see and entire town reduce its emissions significantly. When Orla siad a number of years ago that Clonakilty could go off-grid, many people laughed. But it's more and more becoming something that's within our grasp. It will take a couple of years, but the Chamber is totally committed to bringing this project to fruition"
Photo by Dermot Sullivan.
L-R Christopher O'Sullivan TD, Michael Scully, Orla O'Donovan, Tim Coffey, Johnny O'Donovan

Clonakilty is first town to go off-grid

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