29 April 2025
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Grants for solar panels
The Solar Electricity Grant provides a grant to help with the cost of buying and installing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for your home. The grant is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Their website is www.seai.ie You must apply for the grant and get a grant offer from the SEAI before you get your solar panels and start any work. There are a number of things to consider before applying for the grant. For example, you should check if you should insulate your home first and if you’ll need planning permission.
File photo of solar panels
What are solar panels?
Solar panels are devices that use sunlight to generate hot water, or electricity to power electrical devices in your home.
Solar panels that produce electricity are known as solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. These panels generate electricity when exposed to light. Solar PV is the rooftop solar you see on homes and businesses.
Solar panels that produce hot water are known as solar thermal collectors or solar hot water collectors.
This Solar Electricity Grant focuses on PV, where solar electric panels capture the light from the sun and convert it into the electricity that is used in your home to power your TV, kettle, toaster and so on. These panels are often mounted on the roof of your house or in the garden.
Do I qualify for the Solar Electricity Grant?
To qualify for a grant, you must:
- Be the owner of a home built and occupied before 2021
- Use new materials and products that were not already covered by another grant scheme
- Use a registered company from the SEAI’s registered list of companies
- Have the electrical works completed by a Safe Electric Ireland electrician
- Apply to ESB Networks to be connected to the electricity distribution system using the ESB Networks NC6 form. Your registered installer should do this for you before they fit the system.
- Provide a Declaration of Works signed by a registered installer on the SEAI Solar PV Approved Installer list
- Have a Building Energy Rating (BER) carried out after the work is completed
- Meet the requirements in the Solar PV Code of Practice
Citizens Information
Further information on this and other topics is available from Cork City Centre Citizens Information Centre in Cornmarket Street, open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.45am to 12.30pm and Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6950 (Lines open Mon-Fri 10am-4.30pm). Blackpool CIC is also open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6890 while Hollyhill CIC is open Mondays and Fridays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel: 0818 07 6850.
Information is also available from the Citizens Information Phone Service Tel: 0818 07 4000 (9am – 8pm, Mon – Fri) or online at www.citizensinformation.ie