Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021–2027

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 202 Table 11.2: Approved Wind Farms in Kilkenny Wind Farm name Applicant Townland No. Turbines Total output In MW Bruckana Bord na Mona Rathpatrick, Bruckana & Baunmore, Johnstown 8 20 Foylature Art Generation Foylature, Courtstown, Tullaroan 7 12 Ballybeagh ART Generation Ltd. Ballybeagh, Tullaroan 7 13.8 Ballymartin Phase 1 ART Generation Ltd./Bord Gais Energy Ballymartin, Smithstown 3 7 Paul Martin Ballymartin Phase 2 Bord Gais Energy Smithstown, Tullogher 1 9.2 ART Generation Ltd. 3 Rahora Ecopowers Developments Ltd. Guillkagh More, Brownstown 5 4 Lisdowney Community Matt Bergin and Thomas McEvoy Lisdowney Ballyragget 9.2 4 Ballinclare Michael Aylward Glenmore 1 0.5 Total 39 75.7 11.5.2 Wind Energy Development Strategy A wind energy strategy has been developed for this plan building on the strategies from previous development plans and having regard to Government policy generally and the Draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines5. In accordance with the Wind Energy Development Guidelines, the Planning Authority undertook a 4- step process for identifying suitable locations for wind energy generation. The four steps are set out below; 1. Assess wind area potential using SEAI’s Wind Atlas for Ireland. 2. Utilise a landscape character assessment and the potential sensitivity of the landscape for wind energy developments 3. Do a multi criteria or sieve analysis by overlaying the wind energy mapping and landscape sensitivity 5 Draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines December 2019 Prepared by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 203 4. Integrate the information with derived from the previous steps with information regarding accessibility to electricity transmission and distribution grids. The final Strategy map, Figure 11.4 was then modified by resolutions at the Council meetings on the 8th June 2021 on the 3rd September 2021. The Council’s Wind Energy Strategy is attached as Appendix K. Accordingly, the county has been divided into three policy areas for the development of wind farms, based on an assessment of viability against other considerations; “Acceptable in principle”, “Open for Consideration” and “Not normally permissible”. A matrix is set out below outlining which of the various category scales will be considered in each Wind Strategy area. Figure 11.4 shows a map of County Kilkenny with areas designated in accordance with their suitability for wind energy development. Wind Energy Policy Areas: Wind energy developments can be divided into five categories depending on their scale, as follows: (a) Individual wind turbines (b) Auto producer (c) Small scale wind developments/Community Schemes (Compliant with the RED II Directive definition of community) (d) Large scale wind developments The Plan provides policy areas for a wide range of wind energy developments. The plan considers the potential for the landscape to absorb a variety of projects, ranging from large scale wind farm projects to relatively small-scale wind energy developments within urban and industrial areas, and for small community-based proposals outside the key areas that are identified as being appropriate for wind energy development. Community ownership of wind energy projects enables local communities to benefit directly from local wind energy resources being developed in their local areas, ensuring longterm income for rural communities and community benefit funds being mandatory for projects built post 2021 (Contact www.3cea.ie for further information). Table 11.3: Wind Energy Strategy Areas – policy approach Strategy area Acceptable in Principle Open for consideration Not normally permissibleProject category Individual turbine    Auto producer    Small scale wind farm/Community led initiative   X Large scale wind farm  X X Detail on the project categories and policies for their development are set out below.

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 204 (a) Individual Wind Turbines It is recognised that landowners may wish to harness wind energy for private use. Planning applications for individual wind turbines (subject to a limit of 1 per holding) shall be considered throughout the county. (b) Auto producer An “Auto producer” is where an industry/large energy user uses a wind turbine to feed its own energy consumption. These will be considered throughout the county subject to the following: • The turbine proposed is for a significant energy user, • The location of the turbine is within the curtilage of the facility or immediately adjacent. • The site already contains significant development to reduce the visual impact of the turbine(s). (c) Small scale wind farm/Community Schemes Local ownership and part-ownership of a generation project can extend the benefits of renewable energy to households. These benefits of community ownership can vary from providing cheaper energy to the creation of long-term revenue stream and even potentially creating employment for members of the local community. Small scale wind development projects led by the community will be considered in the policy areas identified as being ‘Acceptable in principle’ and ‘Open for Consideration’ in the Wind Energy Strategy Map (Figure 11.4) as follows: • Comprising no more than 5 turbines, • Where the total capacity is not greater than 5 Megawatts. (d) Large-Scale Wind Energy Developments (>5MW) Large-scale wind energy developments will, in usual circumstances, only be considered in ‘ Acceptable in principle’ areas. The rationale behind this policy is to minimise the visual impacts of such large-scale developments, in addition to effects on the environment of County Kilkenny as a whole, as well as to facilitate appropriate grid connections. These will be assessed in accordance with the Wind Energy Development Guidelines.6 11.5.3 Development Management Guidance All planning applications for wind energy developments shall be assessed against the DEHLG’s Wind Energy Development Guidelines, 2006, (and any subsequent update of these guidelines) and the County Council’s Wind Strategy. 6 Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines for Planning Authorities, 2019

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 205 In accordance with the guidance, when considering an application for wind energy development, the planning authority may consider some, if not all, of the following matters: • Environmental Assessments (EIA, AA etc. See 10.5.3.1 below) including mitigation included in Construction Environment Management Plans (CEMPs); • Community engagement and participation aspects of the proposal and how its Community Benefit Fund will contribute to the wider County of Kilkenny’s Energy Efficiency targets at a local level. (3CEA coordinate such proposals under the County Climate Action Plan.) • Grid connection details • Geology and ground conditions, including peat stability; and management plans to deal with any potential material impact. Reference should be made to the National Landslide Susceptibility Map to confirm ground conditions are suitably stable for project; • Site drainage and hydrological effects, such as o water supply and quality and watercourse crossings; o management plans to deal with any potential material impact on watercourses; o the hydrological table; o flood risk including mitigation measures; • Landscape and visual impact assessment, including the size, scale and layout and the degree to which the wind energy project is visible over certain areas and in certain views; • Visual impact of ancillary development, such as grid connection and access roads; • Potential impact of the project on natural heritage, to include direct and indirect effects on protected sites or species, on habitats of ecological sensitivity and biodiversity value and, where necessary, management plans to deal with the satisfactory co-existence of the wind energy development and the particular species/habitat identified; • Potential impact of the project on the built heritage including archaeological and architectural heritage; • It is recommended that consideration of carbon emissions balance is demonstrated when the wind energy developments requires peat extraction. • Local environmental impacts including noise, shadow flicker, electromagnetic interference, etc.; • Adequacy of local access road network to facilitate construction of the project and transportation of large machinery and turbine parts to site, including a traffic management plan; • Information on any cumulative effects due to other projects, including effects on natural heritage and visual effects; • Information on the location of quarries to be used or borrow pits proposed during the construction phase and associated remedial works thereafter; • Disposal or elimination of waste/surplus material from construction/site clearance, particularly significant for peatland 11.5.3.1 Environmental Assessments The assessment of the impacts of developments shall comply with the relevant European Directives as transposed into Irish legislation, including the EIA Directive, the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive. As regards the directives, these assessments will relate to all mandatory categories and where, following screening, if required, a full EIAR or NIS is produced, these must include the impacts

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 206 of both the planning application and its grid connections. In relation to EIAR, the assessment must address the direct effects and any short, medium and long-term, permanent and temporary, positive and negative, indirect, secondary, cumulative and transboundary effects of the whole project, i.e. the wind energy development and the grid connection. In relation to the grid connection it is preferable that the corridor approach be used. In relation to NIS, the assessment shall consider all potential impacts on Natura 2000 sites. It is recommended that Construction Environment Management Plans (CEMPs) of projects be submitted with applications. These plans generally include mitigation measures which should ideally input into both Environmental Impact Assessment Report or Appropriate Assessment at planning application stage. All planning application submission (and in particular the EIAR) must include details of the site compound and access arrangements. The applications must include details of the location and design of the site compound and construction methods, environmental mitigation methods and proposed reinstatement. 11.5.3.2 Pre-planning and public consultation Applicants for small- or large-scale wind farms shall be required to engage with the local population in the vicinity of any proposed wind farm, prior to lodging their application. 11.5.3.3 Impact on the landscape Both quantitative and qualitative factors are used to estimate the potential for impact of Wind Energy developments on the landscape. In accordance with the draft Guidelines on Wind Energy, these are comprised in four parts, being: • Landscape sensitivity (ranging from very low sensitivity to very high sensitivity • Visual presence of the wind energy development (ranging from minimal presence to highly dominant) • Aesthetic impact of the wind energy development on its landscape context (ranging from major positive impact to major adverse impact) • Significance of the impact (ranging from insignificant to major) The Planning Authority will use these four elements of landscape impact assessment in considering the potential for impact of proposed wind energy development on the landscape. Landscape Character Types are distinct types of landscape that are relatively homogenous in character and are generic in nature in that they may occur in different localities throughout the county, but share similar combinations of geology, topography, land cover and historical land use, for example, Upland Areas. The Kilkenny Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) (see Chapter 9) divides the county into four landscape character types (LCTs); Upland Areas, Lowland Areas, River Valleys, and Transitional Areas. See also Figure 9.3 Landscape Sensitivities in Chapter 9 Heritage which identifies environmentally sensitive features. The Guidance notes however that a wind energy development may be located in one landscape character type, but visible from another. In such instances the entire visual unit should be taken into consideration.

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 207 All applications shall be accompanied by a Landscape Impact Assessment Report, as set out in Appendix 3 of the Wind Energy Development Guidelines , and any revisions thereof including; • Landscape and visual impact assessment, including the size, scale and layout and the degree to which the wind energy project is visible over certain areas and in certain views; • Visual impact of ancillary development, such as grid connection and access roads; 11.5.3.4 Noise Impact Assessment and Noise Limit The draft Guidelines indicate that noise is unlikely to be a significant problem where the distance from the nearest turbine to any noise sensitive property is more than 500 metres. Notwithstanding that there will be requirement for noise modelling as part of any wind energy development. Noise modelling carried out by the applicant in advance of and submitted with the planning application must test and demonstrate compliance with the required noise limits specified in the draft Ministerial guidance. The noise assessment shall include noise characteristics associated with both the wind turbines and any associated infrastructure such as transformers, sub-stations or any other ancillary equipment. Where any proposed distance between a wind farm and neighbouring offices or buildings is less, the Council will look for additional noise and shadow flicker mitigation. A Relative Rated Noise Limit (RRNL) in the range of 35 – 43 dB(A) shall apply at noise sensitive locations, while not exceeding the background noise level by more than 5dB(A) with an upper limit of 43 dB(A). For instance, at noise sensitive locations where existing background noise levels are measured at less than 30 dB, a maximum 35 dB(A) noise limit will be strictly imposed at lower wind speeds. 11.5.3.5 Shadow Flicker Where the turning blades of wind turbine cause intermittent shadows at sensitive nearby receptors, this is called shadow flicker. Shadow flicker generally can become an issue at properties 130 degrees either side of North relative to the wind turbines. A Shadow Flicker Study detailing the outcome of computational modelling for the potential for shadow flicker from the development should accompany all planning applications for wind energy development and suitable mitigation will be required. 11.5.3.6 Natural Heritage Any impacts on birds or rare flora, mammals, amphibians and fish need to be assessed. For the purposes of this Development Plan, a registered thoroughbred stud farm is considered to be a noise and flicker sensitive property as referred to in the Government’s Wind Energy Development Guidelines7, and any revisions thereof. 11.5.3.7 Access to grid Details of consultations with the electricity transmission operators regarding the nature and location of a proposed grid connection should be submitted as part of the pre-planning consultation. 7 Government of Ireland, Draft Revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines, 2019

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 208 11.5.3.8 Proximity to Roads and Railways At a minimum, turbines shall be set back a distance equalling the blade tip height of the turbine plus 10% from National and Regional roads and railways. Set-back from other roads will be site specific and determined at application stage. 11.5.3.9 Proximity to power lines The minimum clearance for all turbines and overhead transmission lines must be falling distance (measured from the edge of the foundation) plus an additional flashover distance for the relevant voltage. 11.5.3.10 Interference with communication systems Any wind farm applicant should contact individual broadcasters to inform them of the proposals. A list of the licensed operators is available on www.comreg.ie. Mobile phone operators should also be informed. Contact should also be made with the Irish Aviation Authority. The outcome of such consultations shall accompany planning applications. 11.5.3.11 Appropriate Setback Distance to apply As regards individual residential properties, it is required that applications for wind energy development should demonstrate a setback distance for visual amenity purposes of 4 times the tip height should apply between a wind turbine and the nearest point of the curtilage of any residential property in the vicinity of the proposed development, subject to a mandatory minimum setback of 500 metres. Discretion applies to planning authorities when agreeing separation distances for small scale wind energy developments such as auto producers or where the owner(s) and occupier(s) of the relevant property or properties are agreeable, provided minimum noise requirements are met. 11.5.3.12 Effects on Equine Facilities Applications for wind energy developments shall be accompanied by an assessment detailing potential impacts, mitigation and residual impacts upon the equine industry. Such assessments shall, inter alia, consider issues including noise and shadow flicker. 11.6 Solar energy Solar power can be used in buildings to produce hot water and electricity. It can be in the form of thermal solar energy (passive and active) or photovoltaic solar energy. Passive solar heating refers to the way in which buildings are designed to maximise solar gain and minimise heat loss. Active solar energy is where solar panels are used to transform solar energy into heat to provide space and/or water heating. Solar Photovoltaic Systems use daylight to convert solar radiation into electricity, the greater the intensity of light, the greater the flow of electricity.

9. Page 269

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   Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 209 11.6.1 Passive Solar Design (PSD) Virtually all buildings enjoy free energy and light from the sun; the objective in PSD is to maximise this benefit by using simple design approaches which intentionally enable buildings to function more effectively and provide a comfortable environment for living or working. PSD has always been a feature of traditional vernacular architecture. A structure employing PSD is unlikely to cost more than a structure built without the benefit of passive solar design. Design, infrastructure and site layout are key to achieving energy efficient development by optimising passive solar gain in domestic and nondomestic buildings. PSD is a central principle of the Guidelines on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas8 and the Kilkenny Rural House Design Guide9. 11.6.2 Active Solar Heating (Solar Thermal) A solar collector is a device that captures solar heat and transfers it to heat water, most commonly for sanitary hot water production, or in cases where a building has a very low heat demand, then often for both space heating and hot water. Larger scale active solar thermal technologies can also be used for cooling and steam production. Steam produced in this way can be used to drive turbines for electricity production. 11.6.3 Photovoltaic Solar Electricity The production of solar electricity relies heavily on active solar technology. The most commonly encountered system for solar electricity production is solar photovoltaic. Solar photovoltaics (commonly referred to as "PV") is the term given to the conversion of light energy (irradiance) to electricity and also describes the active solar technology (Solar photovoltaic systems) which produces electricity from solar radiation using solar cells joined together in panels called PV modules. Photovoltaic solar electricity can be generated at various scales, ranging from domestic to utility scale solar PV (USSPV). Such utility scale solar photovoltaic arrays are connected to the national grid and are generally referred to as “solar farms”. Although there is considerable variation in appearance, many solar modules are dark in colour and have low reflective properties. They are generally placed on the ground in arrays facing the sun, which allows for grazing underneath, or are fitted to buildings and in particular on south facing roofs. With improvements in technology, solar panels are becoming increasingly efficient and cost effective. On average, 1 sq. m of silicon solar panels will generate 200W of power on a clear sunny day10. That’s enough to power a laptop computer. A home solar PV system sized at 20 sq. m (3kW) and well located would generate around 2,600kWh of electricity a year. That is over 40% of the average annual electricity demand of an Irish home. Solar PV systems will still function on overcast days in Ireland although not at their maximum rated capacity. 8 Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (Cities, Towns and Villages), 2009 9 Kilkenny County Council, County Kilkenny Rural Design Guide, 2008 10 According to the SEAI website.

10. Page 270

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    Chapter 11 Renewable Energy Kilkenny City and County Development Plan Volume 1 210 Due to high levels of irradiance, according to SolarGIS, County Kilkenny has the potential to generate between 950 to 1000kWh/m2, which, together with Counties Wexford and Waterford, makes Kilkenny a very attractive location for utility scale solar farms. Standalone polar PV needs to be stored and for this purpose storage batteries are generally used in domestic and commercial scale solar installations to store the energy to match the domestic or network demand. Figure 11.5 Horizontal Solar Irradiation Solar Thermal (STE) power plants use solar radiation to heat a fluid to high temperatures. The technology is applied in domestic settings (i.e. to heat water) and at a utility scale, where heated fluid can transfer to water in order to create steam to drive turbines.

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