Solar PV Grant For Irish Homes Welcomed
It’s with great pleasure that we welcome the solar panels grant announced today by the SEAI. As one of the leading advocates of solar PV in Ireland we have seen many false dawns in previous years. We have sat on many boards discussing the benefits and possible pitfalls of introducing an incentive, as well as speaking at solar events sharing our experience in other markets and countries. Upon Minister Naughten’s announcement earlier this year, the hope was this would not be a false dawn, and as we worked as advisors to the SEAI on the format of the grant, it’s great to see the hard work pay off today.
In brief the grant for solar panels with or without battery storage will work as follows:
Without Battery (Max €1,400)
€700 per kWp up to and capped at 2kWp
With Battery (Max €3,800)
€700 per kWp up to and capped at 4kWp Solar
+
€1000 for battery once sized greater than 2kWhrs
Conditions:
– Buildings built and occupied before 2011
– Post-works BER required
– PV works must be installed after July 31st 2018
– Systems must be grid tied
– Grant is a one-off payment
– 2-year pilot scheme reviewed every 6 months
This theme is all about self-consumption and practicality. Regarding self-consumption, we have found that 2kWp systems can achieve approximately 80% usage of all energy generated, brought close to 100% with battery storage or hot water diverts. By encouraging self-consumption, it means the best value is being obtained by the customer. Regarding practicality, there are schemes around the world still being administered and staffed long after the scheme has closed, hence we welcome the upfront one-off grant payment. This allows for the quick implementation of the scheme and eliminates the grandfather costs when the pilot ends.
We would like to commend the SEAI on their speedy response to Minister Naughten’s call to action. These schemes take a lot of planning and forethought, and the expedited manner in which the members of the SEAI brought this pilot about is a credit to them as an organisation.
Finally, we would like to give credit to our partners at SSE Airtricity for their foresight in all things renewable. SSE Airtricity’s investment in Activ8 further reaffirms their position as the leading supplier of renewable energy to Irish households.
Through our partnership, we are rolling out the following offer to customers –
All current, and new, SSE Airtricity customers who purchase a system from Activ8 will receive €250 cashback from Activ8 on point of install.
Looking at today’s announcement, our CEO Ciaran Marron concluded with:
“Having spent the last 12 years in the solar industry, it is not lost on me that we are exactly 12 years away from 2030, a monumental year in our climate change efforts. The announcement today shows our commitment as a country towards our goals in this regard”.
For more information on Solar PV and how to avail of the current SEAI solar grant and offers, click here.
We have also answered the question: are solar panels are worth the investment in Ireland
Please be aware that grant figures and associated offers are correct at the time of writing | 31/07/18