Small solar farm to generate electricity for NUA factory
The proposal is to install 0.22 hectares of solar panels
THE NUA manufacturing plant on the O’Brien Road in Carlow town is proposing to install 0.22 hectares of solar panels to the west of the factory as a clean source of energy for the facility that makes timber frame components for homes.
A planning permission application for the small solar farm was submitted to the county council on 16 December 2025 and a decision is due on 18 February.
Tony McLoughlin, chief operating officer at Glenveagh, who owns NUA, said the electricity generated “will be enough to cover the total energy demand of our Carlow facility. This will help to alleviate grid capacity constraints, which, in turn, can support sustainable development and future expansion within Carlow”.
The project includes provision for an array of low to the ground solar panels angled towards the south-west and mounted on steel supported structures, which altogether will cover roughly the size of half-a-football pitch. The company is proposing to add a 1mWh battery system to store the energy generated by the panels.
In the application, NUA submitted a glint and glare assessment for the 500kWp solar array, which concluded that there would be no negative effects* on dwellings nearby from reflected light. The report noted that the intensity of reflected light from modern solar panels is the same as from still water.
As for noise, the planning application notes that there may be some noise during installation but once operational, the fixed panels will not make audible noise and fans in the battery location will produce only localised noise.
Mr McLoughlin also noted that the company is trying to “reduce the embodied carbon of the house timber frame kits we produce in the factory” by as much as 40% using an innovative cladding solution.
