20 October 2024
By Bryan McCarthy
bryan@TheCork.ie
File photo of solar panels
- Timoleague is the best village in Cork for solar energy production;
- Cork City takes 225th place, Carrigaline 168th, Cobh 116th and Midleton 17th;
- Cork residents can expect to produce between 3,470.82 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and 4,215.76 kWh of electricity per year from a 4kWp system (equivalent to €1,492.45 and €1,812.78, respectively, at 43c per kWh);
- For perspective, the average Irish household consumes 4,200 kWh p/y, according to the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU); and
- The average amount of potential energy production from solar in Cork is 3,907.52 kWh.
NRG Panel analysed how much electricity Cork residents can expect to produce from solar. 413 locations within Co. Cork were captured in the study and calculations account for weather conditions, solar radiation, along with many other factors, for each area.
With potential to produce 4,215.76 kWh p/y, Timoleague takes the title of best place in Cork for solar, followed closely behind by Templeomalus (4,213.49 kWh) and Kilmaloda East (4,207.17 kWh).
At the opposite end of the table are the Caherbarnagh (3,470.82 kWh), Knockatooan (3,495.01 kWh) and Crinnaloo (3,514.7 kWh).
The results of NRG Panel’s Solar Panels Cork study show that, with a 4 kWp system and a unit rate of 43 cents, Cork residents produce €1,680.23 worth of electricity p/y from solar, on average.
The chart below shows the solar output, by month, for a 4kWp system installed in Cork City.
Most electricity is generated during the summer months before gradually dropping.
This October, Cork residents can expect to generate 50% of the electricity they would produce during the annual peak in May.
Methodology
- 413 areas in Co. Cork were captured in the study (sourced from the Surveying Open Data Portal by Tailte Éireann);
- Energy calculations take into account solar radiation, temperature, wind speed and are based on a south facing, 4kWp system with fixed panels on a 35 degree slope; and