Irish Women in Solar: Grace Curran
At Solar Ireland, we continue to celebrate the women at the forefront of Ireland’s solar success story.
This month, as we launch our Scale of Solar in Ireland report, we’re shining a light on Grace Curran, Head of Business Development at Neoen — whose journey shows exactly how committed people and ambitious projects are delivering on Ireland’s solar potential.
Growing with Solar
Grace’s interest in protecting the environment took root early:
“I’ve always cared about sustainability — I was the kid who watched Fern Gully on repeat! That love for nature is what drove me to study Environmental Science and later Sustainable Energy.”
After three years in the waste sector, she joined Energia Renewables in 2017 and moved to Neoen in 2021. In just a few years, she has helped expand Neoen’s greenfield pipeline in Ireland from under 100 MW to over 1.6 GW — tangible proof of how dedicated people build Ireland’s clean energy future.
Scaling Up: People Power Behind the Numbers
In our Scale of Solar in Ireland report, we highlight how installed capacity has increased dramatically in recent years. But behind every megawatt are people like Grace, whose commitment and leadership make this progress possible:
“Numbers are one thing — but it’s the people behind them who deliver. It’s been amazing to see our pipeline grow and to know these projects will power thousands of Irish homes with clean energy.”
Leading, Learning and Inspiring
Developing large-scale projects may come naturally, but public speaking once didn’t:
“Self-improvement comes from pushing ourselves outside our comfort zone.”
Grace reflects on stepping onto the Solar Ireland conference stage twice — a challenge that grew her confidence and visibility.
She is equally committed to building an industry where women can thrive at every level:
“Connecting with other women and having visible role models is so important. I’d love to see even more of our male colleagues supporting this, and for events to aim for real balance on stage and in the audience.”
On representation, she adds:
“It’s recognised that having balanced representation at senior levels leads to better quality decision-making and outcomes.”
A Solar Future, Powered by Women
Grace sees huge opportunities ahead, from future RESS auctions to more corporate PPAs — and is especially watching how co-located battery storage could solve network constraints:
“Solar here is only going one way: up. Future RESS auctions, corporate PPAs and better battery solutions will unlock even more growth. We know batteries work brilliantly at a household level — now it’s about making the business case stack up for grid-scale projects too. That’s where real system flexibility will come from.”
Her personal mission aligns perfectly with the momentum captured in this year’s report:
“My plan is to keep developing high-quality, large-scale solar sites that contribute to Ireland’s 2030 targets and beyond — exactly the kind of growth our Scale of Solar report showcases this year,” she says.
In Her Words
Biggest mentor: “My Mam — the hardest working person I’ve ever met. She did her degree and masters at the same time as me while working full time. Her example drives me every day.”
Thank you, Grace, for powering the people side of Ireland’s solar scale-up — and for inspiring others to do the same.
Read our latest Scale of Solar in Ireland report to see how industry leaders like Grace are helping Ireland shine brighter.