A wider range of businesses in Ireland will be able to benefit from grant support for photovoltaic (PV) installations under an amended scheme.
The government approved on Tuesday changes to the existing Non-Domestic Microgeneration Scheme, which is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
Tiered grant support is now offered to solar systems up to 1 MW in size, significantly above the previous limit of 6 kWp. A variety of businesses, as well as public buildings, sports clubs and community organisations can take advantage of the support.
The grants for installations up to 6 kWp will remain unchanged at up to EUR 2,400 (USD 2,615), while arrays up to 1 MW could receive up to EUR 162,600. According to the government, this will cover some 20%-30% of the investment cost, potentially reducing payback to five years.
The amended scheme will open to applications in mid-July and will operate on an introductory basis to the end of 2023, the government said. Its costs in 2023 are estimated at up to EUR 15 million.
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan noted that as a result of measures such as the removal of planning permission requirements to install solar panels and the reduction of the value added tax (VAT) to 0% for the supply and installation of solar panels on homes, the domestic solar PV scheme is powering ahead, with nearly 60,000 homes now registered as microgenerators.
“It is vital therefore that business are now afforded the same opportunity to start their energy transition journey,” the minister added.
The Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) welcomed the announcement .
“Meeting Ireland’s national target of 8 GW of solar by the end of the decade requires solar panels installed on rooftops of every size across the country,” said ISEA chief executive Conall Bolger.
The association announced its Scale of Solar report in June, according to which Ireland has 680 MW of solar connected to the grid, including 371 MW of utility-scale solar.
(EUR 1 = USD 1.090)
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