CHANGE HOW YOU THINK ABOUT “INSTALLING SOLAR”
Updated November 01, 2024
By Morgan Pierce
President John F. Kennedy famously said “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis’. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognise the opportunity”.
Kennedy didn’t get his Chinese quite right, but the lesson he was trying to impart was sound.
That’s because crises – like the one the world is facing with climate change – can be inflection points for positive change.
In talking about climate change with our clients we often hear terms like “existential threat”, “emergency”, “global crisis”. There was, for instance, this headline in the print edition of the Irish Times this week, “Planet ‘Rapidly Approaching a State of Red Alert, Claims Latest Global Analysis”. The shouty headline is followed by a no-less gut-churning opening line, “Risk of permanently damaging Earth’s life-support functions increasing.”
These terms were coined by experts and activists to kickstart action. But we’re on the road talking about the climate every day with our clients and often what we hear reflected back from people is fear, exhaustion, and a sense of being overwhelmed. Instead of action, those feelings can breed the opposite – inertia.
It makes sense to focus on the positive, to inspire by example, to share how easy it can be to make fundamental changes to our daily lives. Those changes aren’t all about denying ourselves, they are, like installing solar, mostly about making good choices.
Even amidst genuinely critical concern about the effects of human activity on the planet’s health, there are some good choices there to be seen.
One we noted this week was a new study, “World Nuclear Status Report, 2024” released by French nuclear energy consultant Mycle Schneider. The analysis revealed that the world’s solar capacity has outpaced nuclear energy by almost five times. Worldwide operational nuclear reactors generated 367 GW of power by June. Solar, meanwhile, generated almost 2 TW of power at the same time.
I’m not pitting one form of sustainable energy against another – there is room in the future world energy mix for wind, hydro, solar and nuclear. But what the nuclear industry has itself now noticed is the strong appeal that long-lasting, low maintenance, reliable solar has for people around the world.
That knowledge – that by installing solar you become part of a worldwide community of changemakers – is something we’re happy to be able to share with clients.
The Real Cost of Installing Solar
And there’s plenty more good news. People often ask us, for instance, “What’s the real cost of installing solar?”
Even now in late 2024, with uptake surging, the government is still incentivising solar installation by offering a €2,100 grant to homeowners. Our SolarSmart team takes all the sweat out of obtaining that cash by doing all the paperwork, and by crediting you the grant money upfront.
The moment you’ve installed your solar system you start racking up savings. We estimate that many clients save as much as 70% on their home energy bills. That level of saving means that your solar will pay for itself within the first 6 to 8 years of operation.
After that, the money you save (and in some cases, the money you earn by selling excess energy back to the grid), goes straight into your bank account. With an average life-span of 25 years, those savings can add up to a significant sum.
So maybe the question people ought to be asking – and this goes back to that crisis v. opportunity notion – “What’s the cost of not installing solar?”
Sure, we need to appreciate the challenges ahead, and the serious threat posed by unchecked climate change. But, like President Kennedy said of other crises, there are opportunities ahead too. Renewable energy technologies like solar offer citizens a chance to become energy producers themselves and to actively contribute to the globe’s energy transformation.
As we’ve said before, that type of active participation by citizens, called “prosumption”, means that each of us can be both producers and consumers. By installing solar, almost any homeowner or small business in Ireland can become a prosumer.
Each prosumer among us speeds up Ireland’s energy transition, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to a sustainable future. And there is benefit in that for us all.
Why Choose Solar In Ireland?
Investing in a solar panel systems in Ireland can bring many benefits, including reduced energy bills, increased energy independence, and a reduced carbon footprint. If you are interested in installing a solar panel system in Ireland, it is also worth exploring the different grant options and green business loans available and seeking professional advice from one of our solar energy advisors.
Feel free to contact us for more information, we’re here to help.