A Danish solar power company, together with its Irish partner, is announcing plans today to invest €300m in the sector here.

Obton - a solar photovoltaic business - and Shannon Energy will develop up to 500 megawatts of solar projects here over the next five years.

An estimated 2,000 acres of farmland will be converted to the production of renewable energy and in turn contribute to the Government's goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The whole of area of solar is largely under-developed here - apart from some smaller operations and people putting panels on their houses. This all contributes to the renewable energy pipeline.

But the bulk of the renewable energy focus falls on wind energy.

The Cabinet recently approved a new planning system for offshore wind projects but Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has referenced solar energy as an area of development as the Government aims for carbon neutrality.

