Solar Panel Statistics Ireland (2026)
The latest data on solar power in Ireland, updated October 2026. Ireland passed 3 GW of installed solar capacity in August 2026, and over 200,000 homes now have solar panels, after a record 1 GW was added in 2025 alone. Below are the current figures for installed capacity, SEAI grant installations, adoption growth and national targets, each with its source. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite this page.
Quick Answer
Ireland's installed solar capacity passed 3 GW (3,000 MW) in August 2026, up from about 2,345 MW at the end of 2025, after a record 1,005 MW was added in 2025. Over 200,000 homes have solar panels, more than 120,000 have received an SEAI solar grant, and SEAI received over 31,000 applications from January to July 2026, up 76% on 2025. The maximum domestic grant is €1,800, plus a new €600 battery grant. Ireland is targeting 8 GW of solar by 2030.
Key Irish solar statistics at a glance
Solar capacity installed in Ireland (August 2026)
Irish homes with solar panels
Added in 2025 alone, a record year for Irish solar
SEAI solar applications Jan–Jul 2026, up 76%
2026 figures from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (August 2026); the 2025 figure from the Solar Ireland 2025 report. See the full dataset for per-figure sources.
Installed capacity and growth
Ireland's installed solar capacity reached approximately 2,345 MW by the end of 2025. The country added a record 1,005 MW in 2025, up sharply from 452 MW in 2024 and 543 MW in 2023. That represents growth of almost 160% in two years and puts Ireland on the path toward its 8 GW national target for 2030.
Growth has continued in 2026. Installed capacity, from rooftop systems to utility-scale solar farms, passed 3 GW in August 2026. The same week, output from solar farms hit a record 1.3 GW, more than a third of dispatchable generation on the grid at that moment.
| Segment | Capacity (end 2025) |
|---|---|
| Utility-scale solar farms | ~1,322 MW |
| Distributed microgeneration | ~727 MW |
| Mini-generation | ~74 MW |
| Small-scale commercial | ~53 MW |
| Total installed | ~2,345 MW |
Segment breakdown from the Solar Ireland 2025 report (via pv magazine). Rooftop solar passed the 1 GW mark in November 2025, spanning more than 170,000 homes, farms and businesses at the time. A segment breakdown for 2026 has not been published yet.
SEAI grants and home adoption
Over 200,000 homes in Ireland have installed solar panels, according to CSO data published by the Department in August 2026, many with SEAI support and some without. More than 120,000 homes have received a Solar PV grant since the scheme began, and SEAI received over 31,000 applications from January to July 2026, 76% more than in the same months of 2025.
Home solar adoption has surged on the back of the SEAI Solar PV Scheme. A record 29,151 homes completed a grant-supported installation in 2024, and 26,877 homes had done so by 31 October 2025, putting 2025 on track to exceed the previous year. By the end of 2025, SEAI had processed its 100,000th paid application under the domestic scheme.
The maximum domestic grant is €1,800 (€700 per kWp up to 2 kWp, then €200 per kWp up to 4 kWp), and the Government has confirmed it will stay at €1,800 for 2026 and has committed to funding the grant until 2030. Since 6 October 2026, homes built and occupied before 2025 qualify, and a new €600 battery grant covers batteries of 5 kWh or larger. For businesses, farms, schools and community buildings, the Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme offers up to €162,600 at the standard rate, or up to €325,200 under the temporary 45% rate that runs to 6 July 2027. See our full SEAI solar grants guide for eligibility and how to apply.
Cumulative Solar PV Scheme (to Nov 2024)
- 66,855 solar PV systems installed
- 3,236 home batteries installed
- 70,091 total measures under the scheme
- ~60,000 homes registered as microgenerators
Solar statistics by county
Solar output varies across Ireland. The sunniest counties in the southeast generate roughly 15% more per panel than the cloudiest in the northwest. The table below ranks all 32 counties by annual solar yield (kWh generated per kWp of panels), alongside the yearly output of a typical 4 kWp home system, local sunshine hours, and SEAI grant installations in 2025 where available.
Across the 26 Republic of Ireland counties with published figures, homeowners completed 33,049 SEAI grant-supported solar installations in 2025. The six Northern Ireland counties are shown for solar yield but fall outside the SEAI grant scheme.
| Rank | County | Yield (kWh/kWp) | 4 kWp system (kWh/yr) | Sunshine (hrs/yr) | SEAI installs 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wexford | 1032 | 4,128 | 1,540 | 1,278 |
| 2 | Cork | 1000 | 4,000 | 1,380 | 3,603 |
| 3 | Waterford | 988 | 3,952 | 1,465 | 840 |
| 4 | Wicklow | 972 | 3,888 | 1,448 | 1,275 |
| 5 | Louth | 959 | 3,836 | 1,315 | 1,084 |
| 6 | Dublin | 958 | 3,832 | 1,500 | 7,044 |
| 7 | Meath | 950 | 3,800 | 1,315 | 1,972 |
| 8 | Kilkenny | 948 | 3,792 | 1,360 | 754 |
| 9 | Down | 938 | 3,752 | 1,400 | — |
| 10 | Laois | 935 | 3,740 | 1,278 | 580 |
| 11 | Carlow | 930 | 3,720 | 1,490 | 438 |
| 12 | Kildare | 928 | 3,712 | 1,295 | 1,654 |
| 13 | Clare | 924 | 3,696 | 1,343 | 1,045 |
| 14 | Westmeath | 922 | 3,688 | 1,240 | 603 |
| 15 | Offaly | 918 | 3,672 | 1,240 | 550 |
| 16 | Galway | 916 | 3,664 | 1,182 | 2,126 |
| 17 | Limerick | 912 | 3,648 | 1,281 | 1,888 |
| 18 | Tipperary | 912 | 3,648 | 1,315 | 1,161 |
| 19 | Longford | 909 | 3,636 | 1,285 | 199 |
| 20 | Roscommon | 905 | 3,620 | 1,200 | 462 |
| 21 | Antrim | 903 | 3,612 | 1,300 | — |
| 22 | Cavan | 900 | 3,600 | 1,250 | 433 |
| 23 | Armagh | 899 | 3,596 | 1,350 | — |
| 24 | Monaghan | 892 | 3,568 | 1,200 | 283 |
| 25 | Kerry | 891 | 3,564 | 1,246 | 1,076 |
| 26 | Mayo | 884 | 3,536 | 1,105 | 1,131 |
| 27 | Sligo | 872 | 3,488 | 1,150 | 467 |
| 28 | Tyrone | 863 | 3,452 | 1,150 | — |
| 29 | Leitrim | 862 | 3,448 | 1,150 | 222 |
| 30 | Derry | 858 | 3,432 | 1,175 | — |
| 31 | Fermanagh | 848 | 3,392 | 1,150 | — |
| 32 | Donegal | 846 | 3,384 | 1,175 | 881 |
Solar yield and 4 kWp generation figures from PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre). Sunshine hours are county averages. SEAI grant installation counts are for 2025; a dash means no published figure (all six Northern Ireland counties fall outside the SEAI scheme). See each county page for a local breakdown.
Full dataset: Irish solar statistics 2026
Every figure on this page, with its source. Free to cite with attribution to Solar Info.
| Metric | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed solar capacity (Aug 2026) | 3,000+ MW | Rooftop and utility-scale solar combined passed 3 GW for the first time in August 2026. | DCEE |
| Homes with solar panels | 200,000+ | Homes that have installed solar panels, many with SEAI support and some without (CSO data, Aug 2026). | DCEE |
| Homes paid an SEAI solar grant | 120,000+ | Homes that have received a Solar PV grant since the scheme began (Aug 2026). | DCEE |
| SEAI solar PV applications (Jan–Jul 2026) | 31,000+ | Applications to the end of July 2026, a 76% increase on the same period in 2025. | DCEE |
| Record solar farm output | 1.3 GW | Peak output from utility-scale solar farms in August 2026, over a third of dispatchable generation on the grid at the time. | DCEE |
| Schools with free solar panels | 2,000 | Schools fitted with free solar panels under the Schools Photovoltaic Programme. | DCEE |
| Cumulative solar PV capacity (end 2025) | ~2,345 MW | Roughly 2.3 GW installed nationwide, more than triple the 2023 figure. | Solar Ireland |
| Solar capacity added in 2025 | ~1,005 MW | First year Ireland added more than 1 GW of solar in a single year (vs 452 MW in 2024, 543 MW in 2023). | Solar Ireland |
| Two-year capacity growth | +156.8% | Installed PV capacity grew almost 160% between 2023 and the end of 2025. | Solar Ireland |
| Utility-scale solar capacity | ~1,322 MW | Large ground-mounted solar farms account for the largest single share of national capacity. | Solar Ireland |
| Distributed microgeneration capacity | ~727 MW | Domestic and small rooftop systems, the fastest-growing segment. | Solar Ireland |
| Rooftop solar milestone (Nov 2025) | 1 GW | Ireland passed 1 GW of installed rooftop solar in November 2025, across 170,000+ rooftops at the time. | Solar Ireland |
| Homes with SEAI-grant solar (2024) | 29,151 | Solar PV grant installations completed in the 2024 calendar year, a record annual total. | SEAI |
| SEAI-grant installations (to 31 Oct 2025) | 26,877 | Homes that installed solar with an SEAI grant in the first ten months of 2025, on track to beat 2024. | SEAI |
| Cumulative Solar PV Scheme measures | 70,091 | Measures installed under the SEAI Solar PV Scheme to Nov 2024: 66,855 solar PV systems and 3,236 batteries. | SEAI |
| 100,000th grant application | End 2025 | SEAI processed its 100,000th paid application under the Domestic Solar PV Scheme by the end of 2025. | SEAI |
| Registered home microgenerators | ~60,000 | Homes registered as microgenerators after record application levels in 2022 and 2023. | SEAI |
| Maximum domestic solar grant | €1,800 | SEAI grant of €700/kWp up to 2 kWp plus €200/kWp to 4 kWp, capped at €1,800. Held at €1,800 for 2026; homes built and occupied before 2025 qualify from 6 October 2026. The Government has committed to fund the grant until 2030. | SEAI |
| Home battery grant | €600 | Flat-rate SEAI grant for batteries of 5 kWh or larger, new from 6 October 2026. Can be claimed with the solar PV grant or on its own. | SEAI |
| Maximum non-domestic solar grant | €325,200 | Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme grant for businesses, farms, schools and community buildings at the temporary 45% rate, for applications from 6 October 2026 to 6 July 2027. The standard-rate maximum is €162,600. | SEAI |
| Commercial solar grant support (2024) | €18.3m | Approved grant offers to 1,350 businesses, supporting over 130 MWp of commercial solar PV. | SEAI |
| National 2030 solar target | 8 GW | Government Climate Action Plan target for total installed solar capacity by 2030. | Climate Action Plan |
Cite these statistics
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Attribution (copy and paste)
Plain text:
Source: Solar Panel Statistics Ireland 2026, Solar Info (https://www.solarinfo.ie/solar-panels-statistics-ireland)HTML:
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.solarinfo.ie/solar-panels-statistics-ireland">Solar Panel Statistics Ireland 2026 — Solar Info</a></p>Frequently asked questions
How much solar capacity does Ireland have?
Ireland's installed solar capacity passed 3 GW (3,000 MW) in August 2026, according to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. At the end of 2025 it stood at about 2,345 MW, according to the Solar Ireland 2025 report, split into roughly 1,322 MW of utility-scale solar farms and 727 MW of distributed microgeneration, with smaller mini-generation and commercial segments making up the rest.
How many homes in Ireland have solar panels?
Over 200,000 homes in Ireland have installed solar panels, according to CSO data published by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment in August 2026. More than 120,000 homes have received an SEAI Solar PV grant since the scheme began, and SEAI received over 31,000 applications from January to July 2026, up 76% on the same period in 2025.
How fast is solar growing in Ireland?
Very fast. Ireland added about 1,005 MW of solar in 2025, up from 452 MW in 2024 and 543 MW in 2023, the first year the country added more than 1 GW. Capacity then went from about 2,345 MW at the end of 2025 to over 3,000 MW by August 2026, and SEAI solar applications in the first seven months of 2026 were up 76% on 2025.
How much is the SEAI solar grant in 2026?
The maximum SEAI domestic solar PV grant is €1,800: €700 per kWp up to 2 kWp, then €200 per kWp up to 4 kWp. Since 6 October 2026 homes built and occupied before 2025 qualify, and a separate €600 grant covers batteries of 5 kWh or larger. Businesses, farms, schools and community buildings can get up to €162,600 under the Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme, or up to €325,200 at the temporary 45% rate until 6 July 2027.
What is Ireland's solar target for 2030?
Ireland is targeting 8 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030 under the Government's Climate Action Plan. With just over 3 GW installed by August 2026, capacity needs to more than double again by the end of the decade.
Related Guides
State of Solar 2025
Data report on solar adoption, performance, and installers in Ireland.
SEAI Solar Grants
Grants up to €1,800, eligibility, and how to apply.
Solar Panel Costs
Full cost breakdown and payback periods.
Solar Farms in Ireland
Live map of utility-scale solar farms across Ireland with SEAI data.
Sources
- Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, press release 27 August 2026: gov.ie — 3 GW milestone, homes with solar (CSO data), grant totals and 2026 application figures.
- SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland): seai.ie — Grant figures, installation counts and scheme data. Primary source.
- Solar Ireland 2025 report: pv-magazine.com — Installed capacity (MW/GW) figures, as reported by pv magazine.
- Government of Ireland Climate Action Plan: gov.ie — National 2030 renewable energy targets.
SEAI is the primary source for grant and installation figures. The 2026 capacity, homes and application figures come from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. The end-2025 capacity breakdown comes from the Solar Ireland 2025 report as reported by pv magazine; these are industry estimates rather than SEAI data.
Last updated: October 2026
Fact-checked by John Rooney, Solar Energy Editor. Editorial policy
John Rooney is the editor of Solar Info and has been covering the Irish solar energy market since 2023. He fact-checks all content against official SEAI data and maintains relationships with SEAI-registered installers across Ireland.