West Kerry Dairy Farmers set up a Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) in 2020 to cut electricity use and carbon emissions in the dairy sector in the area. Led by local farmer Dinny Galvin, supported by a small steering committee, Dingle Hub, and SEAI mentors, the group co-created an Energy Master Plan (EMP) with outside consultants. They went on to run a collective solar PV meithealon Irish language word that comes from farming to describe when people come together to work on a common project . The SEC combined a collective tender for solar, and farmer-to-farmer learning to move farms toward energy efficiency and visible climate action.
Where did this start?
West County Kerry
Who started this action?
Denis (Dinny) Galvin, supported by the SEAI
Some quick facts about the project
- West Kerry / Dingle Peninsula area where there are 120 dairy farms
- Members signed up: 100 farmers.
- EMP launched: 24 August 2022.
- Funding secured (total): €34,000.
- Energy Master Plan potential: 7,422 MWh reduction (~>70% of community) if recommended measures scaled.
- Solar PV progress (reported 23 July 2025): 20 farms installed; 3 waiting NC7 grid approval; 5 planning 2025; 6 undecided (meitheal total 34 progressing).
- Notable award: Dinny — Best Dairy Sustainability Driver, National Dairy Awards 2024.
Highlights Click toggle ⊕ to see these
- Sectoral model: first-of-its-kind dairy SEC on the peninsula — farmers with the same energy profile working together.
- Energy Master Plan: co-created with farmers, provided a pragmatic roadmap (heat recovery, VSD pumps, LED, solar, AD/biogas).
- Collective buying power: group tender produced competitive pricing and aftercare (group installation rate costing about €900/MWh).
- Peer learning & pride: regular Zooms/meetings built trust, normalized solar uptake, and helped shift narratives about farming & climate.
- Spillover effects: inspired a tourism & hospitality SEC (Corca Dhuibhne) and fed learnings into national co-op conversations.
Why this matters
Credibility was important from the beginning. A trusted, local farming champion (Dinny) kept momentum and converted scepticism into action. Dinny knew how to reach out to the assistance that the SEAI could provide through the SEC program. The group took a co-creation approach: farmers were active participants in the EMP, audits and tendering — not passive recipients. The group looked for visible outcomes: rooftop solar is easy to see — it signalled success, encouraged neighbours, and accelerated peer copying.
SDG Alignment & Keywords Click toggle ⊕ to see these
- SDG 7 — Affordable and Clean Energy.
- SDG 13 — Climate Action
- SDG 12 — Responsible Consumption & Production
- SDG 17 — Partnerships for the Goals.
Keywords: Energy, Farm, Dairy, Sustainable Energy Community, SEC, SEAI, Kerry.
Find Out More about the project
Link to Case Study
The Activists Take-Away
A nature-based solution takes some imagination: you have to think about what the best way to solve a problem is. But it often means that you have to make alliances with local stakeholderspeople that will be affected (good or bad) by a project.
Listen to this podcast to learn how the people of Mulranny use the best communications practice to make sure they build alliances within their community.
Sustainable development, and participative democracy.
Listen on…
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