MAKE 2024 THE YEAR YOU LEAP INTO SOLAR
Updated January 4, 2024
By Morgan Pierce
Well done you! While everyone else is still sorting their holiday hangover, you’re here trying to put your resolutions into action. Well, we’re here too and our New Year resolution is to make Ireland’s Solar revolution a reality in 2024.
365 days. One year. The time it takes for the earth to make one revolution around the sun.
The start of the New Year will find many of us in a reflective mood, musing on what we have accomplished, what opportunities we might have missed, and, most importantly, what we might do next.
Climate activist Sadhbh O’Neill pointed out way back in March 2023, that Ireland would need to make “giant leaps of change if renewables are to dominate our energy system…not, as things stand, a feel-good supplement to the current one [fossil fuels] that is destroying the planet.”
Solar energy, O’Neill pointed out, was becoming the lowest-cost option for new electricity generation in most parts of the world, Ireland included. But, she noted, meeting ambitious net zero targets would require a threefold increase in annual capacity until the target date of 2030. That is ambitious and there are challenges – especially in the areas of land availability and community acceptance – that persist.
We in the solar energy sector are here to help overcome those challenges – both for individuals and for Ireland as a whole. At SolarSmart, we took steps in 2023 to join with thought leaders in climate activism to share facts and dispel misconceptions about solar power, including becoming a member of the Irish Solar Energy Association. We hope this blog, for instance, can be a gateway to introducing people to news about climate change, Ireland’s Net Zero journey, the role of renewables in a planet-saving energy transformation, and exciting developments in the solar energy industry.
We also aim to provide practical “How-To” tips to guide you through your home’s green, energy-saving transformation.
We started 2023 by taking readers through the basics of how solar energy works and explaining how the government – through the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEAI) – is supporting homeowners’ switch to renewables with grants of up to €2,400 toward the installation of solar panels. You can check the details on that here. However, in 2024, the SEAI grant will drop to a maximum of €2,100 (more information to follow soon).
We also pointed up the cost-savings of going solar – the owners of a typical detached home can save about €700 per year on electricity, for example, and the savings don’t stop there.
We recognise that lots of us don’t happen to own that “typical detached home”, and we provided an in-depth look at what going solar might look like for those with older or period residences. In one of the most exciting developments we saw for the industry, we noted how incorporating solar energy was transforming social housing in forward-thinking communities across the state.
Government has promoted solar energy as Ireland’s “sustainability moonshot”. That has meant a boost in grants and incentives for businesses and agriculture as well as homeowners. From July 2023, grants to businesses making the switch to solar were expanded – with some larger installations becoming eligible for grants of up to €162.600. Grants of that size – for installations generating 1MW of electricity – are ideal for those with extensive roof-top industrial space or for farms.
Farmers can also take advantage of a Department of Agriculture Solar Capital Investment fund grant that can cover 40% of the cost of installing solar panels. Qualified young farmers can get up to 60% in grant aid.
We’ve got our eyes open for any and all developments that will affect solar energy in 2024, and we’ll be here to share them with you. Our teams are also out and about around the country providing advice and service to homeowners keen to make 2024 the start of their own solar energy transformation.
A solar future is a bright future. So get in touch.
Investing in Solar PV systems 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, it is worth exploring the different grant options 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.