The government has introduced a micro-generation scheme to aid domestic energy customers who install solar photovoltaic panels on their homes.

It is a pilot scheme to support the installation of solar PV panels to generate renewable electricity to be used in the home. The systems will be grant-aided, and there will be additional grants for those who install battery storage to capture the electricity they generate.

Climate action minister Denis Naughten (pictured) said: “Turning your home into a renewable power station is now one step closer. Micro-generation will allow citizens in local communities to generate their own electricity and contribute towards Ireland’s climate action targets. 

“With this grant, a typical three bed semi-detached house would spend about €1,800 on a solar panel system and would save approximately €220 per year on their electricity bills.”

“The pilot scheme will be subject to a six month review at which time the costs of installation will be assessed and further opportunities to broaden this scheme to other groups and other technologies will be explored.”

In Association with

Eligibility Criteria

The scheme will be administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The grant applies to homes built and occupied before 2011 and details of eligibility criteria and how to apply are set out on the SEAI website. A registered solar PV installer must be used and a full list of these is on the SEAI website.

A grant of €700/kWp will be provided for a solar PV system and €1,000 for battery storage. How much a solar PV system will save, and how much it gets as a grant, can also be calculated on the website.

A domestic solar PV system consists of a number of solar panels mounted on a roof or in the garden, connected into the home electrical system. The panels generate direct current – as from a battery — which is converted through an inverter to alternating current, the electricity from the national grid. A 1kW solar PV system would require three or four panels The electricity generated feeds any electrical loads in your home, and any excess can be stored in a battery, or other storage solution like a hot water immersion tank, or fed into the national grid.

The amounts available as a grant for the existing home insulation programme run by the SEAI have also been increased, with attic insulation and cavity wall insulation up from €300 to €400 and internal wall insulation up by €1,200 to €1,600 for apartments and mid-terrace houses and €1,800 to €2,200 for semi-detached and end-of-terrace detached houses.