The SEAI’s grant for home solar panels will remain at the same level in 2026, altering plans to reduce it by €300 from next January.

The announcement that the grant under the Microgeneration Support Scheme would remain at the same level was made by Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O’Brien this month.

The SEAI’s Solar PV Scheme offer a grant for home solar panels, which is capped at €1,800 this year. It was previously expected that the cap would shrink by €300 from January 1, 2026, as it had in previous years.

The government had said in the past that the grant programme would shrink by €300 each year until 2029, when it would come to an end.

Minister O’Brien confirmed that he had given instructions for the grant not to change next year, as the government wanted to encourage continued adoption of home solar panels.

The confirmation that the SEAI solar grant would not be changed was welcomed within the industry. Solar Ireland, a representative body for Ireland’s solar industry had requested as much in its pre-budget submission.

Budget 2026 included an increase of €89 million in the SEAI’s budget for residential and community energy upgrades. This brings the organisation’s budget for 2026 up to €558 for such grant schemes.

However, it was not specified at the time of the budget whether the increased funding would in any way alter the existing plan for the grant reduction. Thankfully, it did.

This is simple, sensible and hugely positive,” said Ronan Power, CEO of Solar Ireland. “Keeping the grant at €1,800 for 2026 will help thousands more families cut their energy bills and their emissions, while ensuring installations stay within SEAI’s strong regulatory and quality framework. It’s a decision that supports both households and the wider clean-energy transition.”

Power added that keeping the grant at its current level will help with a “fair and accessible” energy transition by keeping solar accessible for Irish homeowners.

“This certainty for 2026 will keep solar affordable for households and maintain strong oversight across the industry. We look forward to continuing to work with the Minister and SEAI as plans for 2027 and beyond take shape.”

The number of homes getting solar panels installed with the help of SEAI grants has increased every year since 2020, even as grant aid has been reduced from a peak of €2,400.

As of October 31, some 26,877 homes in Ireland have installed solar panels with the help of SEAI grants so far this year. When the numbers for November and December are included, this will almost certainly exceed the 29,151 installations across all of 2024.