Is planning permission needed for solar panels in Ireland?
By Morgan Pierce
Updated October 7, 2022
Great news!
It’s now possible to install as many solar panels as possible on rooftops in Ireland, subject to certain conditions. The 12 sq metre or 50% restriction is no longer. Ireland today announced new planning permission exemptions.
The highlights of the new legislation are:
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For domestic installations, solar can cover the entire roof of the dwelling. There also are no restrictions to location in Ireland.
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For all other existing classes of buildings, the existing exemption of 50 sq metres is gone. The new rooftop limit is 300 square meters or about 150 panels (or about 75k kWp).
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Free-standing solar panel installations are exempted from the requirement to obtain planning permission, subject to a 25 sq metre area limit and conditions about remaining space available.
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For detailed information, visit the Government of Ireland announcement