The €140 million solar energy deal announced between Statkraft and Octopus Renewables on Monday illustrates overseas capital’s hunger for Irish renewable energy assets – and this is only the beginning. If the names of the two companies involved do not (yet) sound like household names to you, it’s because they’ve only just set foot in Ireland. This is the first foray into this country by UK investment firm Octopus Group, through its London-listed energy vehicle Octopus Renewable Infrastructure Trust (ORIT). The state-owned Norwegian electricity utility Statkraft, meanwhile, has become a major player in Ireland’s renewables industry since it first entered…