In the townland of Bullstown, just outside Ashbourne, Co Meath, a new solar farm is generating enough clean energy to power around 2,000 homes.
As Ireland moves towards a net-zero energy system where home-grown renewables are the main source of electricity, solar power is becoming an increasingly important part of our national energy mix. In addition to being an ideal complement to wind (the sun tends to shine more on still days), it is also well suited to Irish patterns of energy use as we tend to use far more electricity during daylight hours than at night.
Bullstown is ESB’s first wholly owned ‘utility-scale’ solar farm, meaning a site dedicated to solar generation that feeds electricity directly into the national grid. Ireland currently has over 950MW of utility-scale solar, and a further 575MW of ‘microgeneration’ in the form of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) panels. Our national target is to have 8GW of solar power in operation by 2030, and we are set to deliver a significant share of this as we work towards a net-zero electricity system by 2040.
From greenfield to green energy
A number of factors made this corner of Meath the ideal location for a solar farm, as Andrew Dunne, Solar Project Manager at ESB, explains: “The east of Ireland scores really well for what’s known as ‘irradiance’ – essentially how much sunlight a place gets. The site in Bullstown is particularly well suited to solar as the land is pretty flat, without any obstructions like a high treeline that could block the light. And, really importantly, it is close to an existing grid connection.” The Bullstown solar farm is connected to the grid via a short length of cable into the existing Ashbourne substation right beside the installation.
Construction commenced on the site in January 2024. Across an area of around 44 acres, contractor Greencells installed over 20,000 PV panels. Electrical engineering provider Powercomm carried out the work to connect the solar installation to the grid. A point of pride for the team is that the project was completed without any lost time injuries (LTIs), reflecting very high standards of health and safety.
Bullstown began exporting power to the electricity network in June 2025. It is supported by the Government’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), designed to help achieve the ambition of up to 80% renewable energy by 2030. The site is the first of multiple utility-scale solar farms in development by ESB, part of a total €1 billion planned investment in solar in the coming years.
Photograph: ESB Solar Project Manager Andrew Dunne and ESB engineer Tymora Freeman-Stannett at Bullstown
A natural fit for farmers
The land where Bullstown solar farm sits is leased by retired farmer Thomas Sutton. Making the switch to solar was a natural transition, he explains: “Having a solar farm on my land was an easy choice to make. It provides a steady income and allows me to contribute to cleaner energy.” Another plus point was the impact the installation will have for biodiversity, he adds: “I was especially pleased with the habitat restoration and the planting of wildflowers across the site.”
For farmers, installing solar on their land can be a great opportunity to diversify while reducing carbon emissions. And as at Bullstown, many farm owners are exploring how land used for solar can also support their nature restoration goals – an increasingly important concern both for ecological reasons and compliance with legislative requirements.
Photograph: Thomas Sutton, landowner at Bullstown Solar Farm
Sunny side up for local communities
Bullstown is set to deliver a number of benefits to the local community. Rates will be paid by ESB to Meath County Council, and our Community Benefit Fund will make over €20,000 available annually over 15 years for local groups, designed to deliver long-term benefits to communities in the neighbourhood of the solar farm.
Beyond the local Meath community, Bullstown is part of a broader transformation of the Midlands’ crucial role as a strategic energy hub for a net zero Ireland, along with the solar farm in construction at Middleton House in Co Longford or the joint ESB-Bord na Móna farm recently opened at Timahoe, Co Kildare. In addition to solar’s climate impact, it is also delivering economic benefits: it is estimated that 5,000 jobs in Ireland are already directly related to the industry, and that the sector could contribute up to €7 billion to the country’s economic output by 2030.
Photograph: Wildflowers start to bloom in the grass around the PV panels at Bullstown.
For Ireland as a whole, Bullstown will add to a growing pool of renewable energy resources across the country. In total, the site is exporting 8.4MW of renewable electricity onto the grid, enough to power 2,000 homes. As with other renewables, solar farms are not just a way to decarbonise power generation; they will also support greater energy independence, by replacing imported fossil fuels with home-grown natural resources. This makes sites like Bullstown a win-win for our climate, for local communities and for Ireland’s long-term energy security.