Solar panels in Ireland (2026)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels turn daylight into electricity. An inverter converts it into the same kind of electricity your sockets use, and your home uses it first. Anything you do not use goes to a battery, if you have one, or out to the grid, where your supplier pays you for it.

Panels work on cloudy days, only at a lower output. A 10-panel system in Ireland generates about 3,900 kWh a year, in the range a 3 bed semi-detached house uses (3,500–4,500 kWh a year).

Yes. Solar panels work in Ireland because they generate from daylight, not heat or direct sun. A 10-panel system produces about 3,900 kWh a year here, with most of it between April and September and the least in December and January.

• Cloud and rain. Panels still generate, at a lower output, because they run on daylight and not direct sun.
• Winter. Output is highest from April to September and lowest in December and January, when days are short and the sun is low.
• Night. Panels generate nothing. The home draws from the grid, or from a battery charged during the day.

The yearly figures on this site already include the low winter months. Solar PV, which makes electricity, is also different from solar thermal, which only heats water. This guide is about solar PV.

• Panels. Usually around 440 W each, fixed to the roof on rails.
• An inverter. Most new installs use a hybrid inverter, which lets you add a battery later.
• Mounting, cabling and isolators. Chosen to suit your slate or tile type.
• A battery (optional). Stores daytime electricity for the evening.
• Paperwork. A Safe Electric certificate and the ESB Networks notification, both handled by the installer.

See the installation cost breakdown for what each part costs.

Solar panels cost €8,300–€9,000 installed for a typical 10-panel home system in Ireland, or €6,500–€7,200 after the €1,800 SEAI grant. A 6-panel system starts from €4,980 after the grant and a 12-panel system costs €7,400–€8,100.

Prices are at 0% VAT and include the panels, a hybrid inverter, mounting, cabling, labour and certification. Installers price whole systems, not single panels: a 10-panel system works out at roughly €830–€900 per panel before the grant.

The full price table covers every size from 6 to 22 panels, and the price calculator sizes a system from your yearly electricity use.

Set your yearly electricity use to see the system size, the price before and after the grant, and the payback.

Most Irish houses need 8 to 14 solar panels. A 3 bed semi-detached house using 3,500–4,500 kWh a year takes 8 to 10 panels, and a 4 bed detached house takes 10 to 12. Panels cover most of a home's yearly use, not all of it hour by hour.

• 1–2 bed apartment: 6 panels, for a home using 2,500 kWh a year
• 3 bed semi-detached: 8 to 10 panels, for a home using 3,500–4,500 kWh a year
• 4 bed detached: 10 to 12 panels, for a home using 4,500–6,000 kWh a year
• 5+ bed / large detached: 14 to 20 panels, for a home using 6,000–8,000+ kWh a year

Each panel generates about 390 kWh a year, so divide your yearly electricity use by that for a rough count. If you plan to buy an electric car or fit a heat pump, size for that use now, since adding panels later costs more. More detail is on prices by house size.

• €700 per kWp for the first 2 kWp, then €200 per kWp for the next 2 kWp
• A maximum of €1,800, which every system of 4 kWp or more reaches
• The home must have been built and occupied before 2025
• The installer must be registered with SEAI
• You must have the grant offer before any work starts
• A separate €600 grant applies to batteries of 5 kWh or more

Who can apply. Homeowners and landlords can. Tenants cannot, so the owner has to apply. There is no income test, and the grant can be claimed once per electricity meter (MPRN). The offer is valid for 8 months, and a BER assessment after the work (€150–€300, paid by you) is needed before SEAI pays out. There is no separate free scheme for pensioners or over 70s: they get the same grant.

The full rules are on SEAI's solar electricity grant page.

A 10-panel system saves about €991 a year and pays for itself in 7 years. That assumes 40% of the electricity is used in the home at 35c per kWh and the rest is exported at 19c per kWh.

The first €400 a year of export income is tax-free, rising to €600 from 2027. Homes that run appliances, an electric car or a heat pump during the day pay back sooner. See are solar panels worth it?

Every supplier pays for the units you send to the grid, at its own rate. Rates as checked in September 2026:

Export rates run from 15.2c to 19.5c, well below the 35c or so you pay to buy a unit. That is why using your own electricity saves more than exporting it. Rates change, so check your supplier before you switch.

• Shift use to the day. Run the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer while the panels are generating.
• Heat water with the surplus. A solar diverter sends spare electricity to the immersion before it is exported.
• Charge an electric car. A smart charger can follow the panels' output.
• Add a battery. It stores daytime electricity for the evening.

• South-facing roofs produce the most.
• South-east and south-west roofs produce about 90 to 95% of that.
• East and west roofs produce less than south, but spread it across the morning and evening, and are still worth fitting.
• North-facing roofs produce roughly 55 to 65% of a south-facing one, so they rarely pay unless there is no other option.
• Shade from trees, chimneys or neighbouring buildings cuts output and should be checked at the survey.

Most houses do not need planning permission for rooftop solar panels. Since 7 October 2022 there is no limit on the area a house can cover, provided:

• Panels sit within 15 cm of a pitched roof, or 50 cm of a flat roof
• Panels are at least 50 cm from the edge of the roof
• Ground-mounted arrays are no more than 25 sq m and 2.5 m high

Protected structures need permission, and extra rules apply in Solar Safeguarding Zones around airports and hospitals with helipads. Check with your local authority if either may apply.

A battery stores electricity you would otherwise export and lets you use it in the evening. A 5 kWh battery costs €3,000–€4,500 when added to an existing system, and less when fitted at the same time as the panels.

Sizes, prices and the battery grant are on solar battery prices.

• Panels. The main brands fitted in Ireland carry a 25-year product warranty and a 25 to 30-year performance warranty.
• Inverter. The part most likely to need replacing, typically after 12 to 15 years. The payback figures on this site allow for one replacement.
• Upkeep. There are no moving parts. Keep an eye on the generation figures in the inverter app, as a sudden drop is the usual sign of a fault.

• VAT. Panels supplied and fitted on a home carry 0% VAT.
• The grant. Up to €1,800, paid to you after the work is done.
• Green loans. Credit unions and banks lend for solar from about 4% APR.
• Installer payment plans. Some installers spread the cost. Compare the total repaid, not only the monthly figure.

Yes. The main downsides of solar panels in Ireland are the upfront cost, a payback of about 7 years, low output in winter and an export rate well below what you pay for electricity. They also depend on having a roof that faces roughly south, east or west without heavy shade.

• The upfront cost is €6,500–€7,200 for a typical home, and it takes about 7 years to earn that back
• Output is low in winter, when most homes use the most electricity
• Exported units earn 15.2c to 19.5c, less than the 35c it costs to buy one
• A north-facing or heavily shaded roof may not pay back
• If you move before the system has paid back, you may not recover the cost
• A standard system shuts down in a power cut unless it has battery backup

When panels do come down, it is usually for roof repairs, a faulty installation or a failed inverter, not because they stopped paying.

Are solar panels worth it? works through when they are and are not.

1. Get two or three quotes from SEAI-registered installers
2. Apply to SEAI for the grant and wait for the offer
3. The installer surveys the roof and fits the system, usually in 1 to 2 days
4. The installer notifies ESB Networks and gives you a Safe Electric certificate
5. A BER assessment is carried out and the grant is paid to you

How to compare quotes covers what each quote should include.

This page was last updated in October 2026. Prices were last reviewed in October 2026 and sit at the upper end of real Irish installer quotes, so the payback shown is cautious. Grant rules are SEAI's, planning rules come from the Planning and Development Regulations as amended in 2022 (SI 493/2022), and export rates are each supplier's published rate. This site does not sell or install solar panels. See about and sources.