Funding bid for solar panels over car parks study

Westmeath County Council is seeking funding for a feasibility study for the installation of solar panels on car park roofs in the county.

In October last, Cllr John Dolan tabled a motion calling on the council to carry out “a feasibility study on the viability of covering our public car parks with Solar PV to provide power to the national grid and shelter for vehicles.”

At the time, the council said its Climate Action team was assessing suitable council-owned sites for Photovoltaic (PV) installations.

Seeking an update last week, at the September meeting of the council, with specific reference to the Fair Green in Athlone, Cllr Dolan was told the council had submitted a funding application for a feasibility study.

“Westmeath County Council have submitted a funding application to Pobal through the EU Just Transition START Fund for the development of a county wide PV feasibility study on all county council owned properties, car parks and buildings across county Westmeath.

“No notice has been given as of yet from Pobal if the application for funding has been successful,” the council response indicated.

Last year, when making the call on the council to consider the move, Cllr Dolan said similar projects in England and across Europe have shown that solar installations can be built without reducing parking capacity.

“It frustrates me to see perfectly good agricultural land being used for solar PV when we have so many car parks in urban areas where the power could be immediately used,” said Cllr Dolan.

“We have numerous car parks within the environment of urban areas where the power will be immediately used and makes perfect sense financially. The price you're looking at is maybe half a million, and you would make a return of between €60 to €80,000 a year.

"They would be paid back in probably seven years. It's something where the technology is there, it's just a matter of having the will to do it.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.