Solar Panel Grants Ireland

The two main streams of solar panel grants in Ireland offer up to €2,100 for the installation of a solar PV system on a home or as much as €162,000 for large scale commercial systems.

The SEAI Solar Electricity PV grants provide money for installing solar panels on private residences. The Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme offers the same amount of funding for businesses and other non-residential buildings.

The size of the grant paid by the SEAI for solar panels is based on the kilowatt peak (kWp) energy output of the array being installed on a property.

Domestic Grant

For solar panels on residential properties, this €800 per kWp up to 2kWp, and then a further €250 per additional kWp up to the maximum grant amount of €2,100 at 4kWp.

Non-Domestic Grant

For businesses, the solar panel grant also pays out €900 for each kWp up to 2kWp, and then a further €300 each up to the €2,400 cap. This grant is also capped at a maximum system size of 6kWp.

In addition, the government expanded the Non-Domestic Grant in 2023 on a pilot basis to offer up to €162,600 in funding for solar panel systems ranging from 7kWp – 1,000kWp in size.

This larger solar panel grant scheme pays out €300 per kWp up to 20kWp maximum, then a €200 each up to 200kWp system size, and then €150 per kWp up to a maximum of 1MWp.

All homes built and occupied before December 31 2020, going by the date the electricity meter was installed, are eligible for the Solar Electricity grant, whether they are owner occupied or owned private landlords.

*Domestic property owners must not previously have received any funding for Solar at the MPRN.

The Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme is open to all business, agricultural, public body, or non-profit sector properties which were built and occupied before 2021.

Property owners can make multiple solar panels grant applications, as long as they are each for a different property.

The money for the solar electricity grant is paid to either the owner of the property, or directly to the solar panel installer, after the work is completed. However you must have secured approval for the grant before having any of the solar panels installed.

The grant money is paid electronically to a bank account specified in the application, so you can have the money go directly to the registered company which is installing your solar panels. This way you can often get the grant amount upfront as a discount from the installer.

The amount which solar panels cost after the SEAI grant is dependent largely on the size of the system being installed.

The average cost of a solar PV system in Ireland approximately ranges from €5,000 – €15,000 in Ireland before taking into account the grant.

The lower end of the scale would be for a 2kW system, approximately 5 panels, that would mean a cost of €3,200 after the grant, with higher end systems coming down to approximately €12,600.

For residential buildings, the VAT rate on solar PV panels has also been dropped to 0%. This means that solar panels which cost €9,000 before a grant offer previously, would now be reduced to €8,000.

Speak with a member of our team and determine the type of solar that best suits your situation

From 2024 onwards, the grant payments are being reduced year-on-year due to take account of the falling cost of solar energy technology.

On 1 January 2024 the maximum domestic grant amount available under the SEAI scheme was reduced to €2,100. There has been no reduction in the Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme which is still scaling up rather than down.

Solar panel grants from the SEAI are available once for any individual property. The same person or company may make as many grant claims as they like, as long as each is for a different property.

Landlords can claim for upgrades to multiple rental properties, as the goal of these schemes is to encourage the amount of renewable electricity being generated by micro-producers nationwide.

Its important to understand the SEAI process for solar grants to ensure that the application proceeds smoothly, and your money is paid in a timely fashion.

While the SEAI solar panel grant is the most commonly used financial support for people making the shift to solar energy, there are other sources of grants and financial aid available for people looking to install solar panels on their home or business.

This business supported is not specifically a grant for solar panels, but a tax incentive encouraging businesses to invest in energy efficiency technology and equipment.

A company or sole trader can claim the cost of solar panels against their taxable profits in the year in which they are installed.

In order to qualify for the ACA the equipment in question must be on the Triple E product register, and purchased for use in their trade.

The EXEED Grant is a grant scheme for public and private organisations planning large scale projects, with up to €3,000,000 available per project to ensure high energy efficiency standards.

The EXEED grant is open for renewable energy upgrades such as a solar PV system, but only if the project has first addressed energy efficiency improvements first.

The grant is open to all organisations planning a large scale investment, whether that is in the design of a new building, or in major renovations and overhaul of an existing premises.

There are two phases of the EXEED Grant:

This is a solar panel grant payment from the Department of Agriculture, aimed specifically at helping farmers install solar panels to lower their energy costs and consumption, and reduce their carbon footprint.

This provides farmers with up to 60% of the cost of a solar PV scheme, capped at €90,000 per holding, with each project requiring a minimum investment of €2,000 to be eligible.

The maximum output system for which a grant claim is eligible under this scheme is 62kW, and 100% of the electricity generated must be consumed on the applicant’s holding.

While not as versatile or popular as photovoltaic solar panels, the SEAI also has a grant scheme for installing solar thermal systems on homes.

This €1,200 flat rate grant can help install a solar thermal system which is designed to meet 50 – 60% of your hot water needs.

The solar water heater grant is available for any home built and occupied before 2021.

Get a free quote today to see how much a solar panel grant payment can help you reduce your electricity bill.