After months of delay, the Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment (DCCAE) published its consultation on the design of a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) in Ireland to encourage sufficient levels of renewable energy and meet national and European Union (EU) targets.
Over the past decade, the island has embarked on radical reforms to deliver a power system that can operate with a penetration of 75% of non-synchronous generation (wind, HVDC interconnectors and solar) at any one time. This metric is called SNSP – system non-synchronous penetration level. A key step in achieving 75% is finalising the procurement approach for system (or ancillary) services, with major reforms recently consulted on. The result: a positive outlook for batteries.
Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. Solar panels actually comprise many, smaller units called photovoltaic cells. (Photovoltaic simply means they convert sunlight into electricity.) Many cells linked together make up a solar panel.
