PVTIME – Ireland has surpassed 3GW of installed solar photovoltaic capacity, with over 1GW of new additions recorded across the past nine months. Peak ground-mounted solar generation has reached 1.3GW, supplying over a third of the country’s electricity demand at times of highest output.
Official figures from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment cover both rooftop and ground-based solar installations. Ireland doubled its solar capacity in three years to reach 2GW in November 2025, and then added a further 1GW in under 12 months to surpass 3GW. Cumulative national renewable energy capacity has also exceeded 8GW. Cathal Marley, Chief Executive of EirGrid, confirmed that solar output first exceeded 1GW on Ireland’s grid in April 2026, ahead of the latest peak of 1.3GW.
Residential solar adoption continues to gather momentum. Over 200,000 households now have solar panels, with more than 120,000 having received solar grants. By July 2026, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland had received over 31,000 solar applications, marking a year-on-year increase of 76%. Around 2,000 schools across the country have received free solar equipment, and under national micro-generation rules, eligible projects are permitted to export surplus electricity to the grid.
Ronan Power, Chief Executive of Solar Ireland, described the 3GW milestone as a key benchmark for the domestic sector, noting that Ireland’s first ground-mounted solar farm achieved grid connection in 2022. The industry body identifies rooftop solar expansion, battery storage deployment, and sustained grid investment as core upcoming priorities and is urging the government to include relevant support measures in the 2027 national budget. Power emphasised that increasing solar generation highlights the importance of energy storage for redistributing midday power for later use.
National policy mechanisms, including the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme, the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme, and microgeneration support programmes, underpin solar development. The government plans to maintain solar grant programmes until 2030. As solar power becomes an increasingly important part of Ireland’s energy system, the focus of the industry will be on expanding rooftop installations, increasing the number of battery assets and strengthening the electricity network infrastructure.
