Solar Incentives in Ireland 2026: SEAI Grant, Clean Export Guarantee & 0% VAT
Last updated July 2026
Ireland supports home solar through the SEAI Solar PV Grant (via a registered installer), the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) under which your supplier pays for exported electricity, a tax disregard on export income, and 0% VAT on the supply-and-install of home solar. Systems register with ESB Networks. Confirm current amounts and terms officially.
Ireland supports domestic solar through a layered framework rather than a single subsidy. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) runs a capital grant for home solar PV that is claimed through an SEAI-registered installer, while the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) obliges every licensed electricity supplier to offer a Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) so households are paid by their own supplier for surplus electricity fed to the grid. Revenue provides two tax supports that sit on top: a zero rate of VAT on the supply-and-install of solar panels on homes, and an income-tax disregard so a defined amount of microgeneration export income is untaxed. Businesses, farms, schools and community bodies are served by the separate SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme. Before any payment flows, the system must be notified to ESB Networks and registered as a microgenerator. Rules, amounts, thresholds and end dates change with Government budgets and regulatory reviews, so always confirm current figures and eligibility directly with the official SEAI, CRU, ESB Networks and Revenue sources linked below.
Registering your solar system on the grid
ESB Networks Micro-Generation (NC6 notification and registration)
ESB Networks is Ireland's distribution system operator and must be notified of any grid-connected micro-generation installation. For standard small domestic and light-commercial systems the installer submits an NC6 notification form to register the microgenerator, which lets ESB Networks record the connection and enable export metering; a type-test certificate confirming the inverter meets the relevant standard must accompany it. Installation must be carried out by a registered electrical contractor working to Safe Electric standards, and grant-supported jobs must additionally use an SEAI-registered solar PV company (Ireland's equivalent of an accredited-installer requirement). Once registered, ESB Networks works to fit a smart meter so exported units can be metered for payment; where a smart meter is not yet in place a deemed-export calculation is used. A retrospective registration route exists for systems installed before notifying.
SEAI Solar Electricity (Solar PV) Grant
Administered by: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
A capital grant that reduces the up-front cost of installing solar PV on a home. The homeowner selects an SEAI-registered solar PV company, applies to SEAI and waits for a grant offer before works start; the installer arranges the ESB Networks grid-connection notification, and a post-works BER assessment is required before SEAI pays the grant to the applicant. The grant is paid on a per-capacity basis up to a defined maximum.
Who it is for: Homeowners, including landlords, whose home has a valid MPRN and was built and occupied before a set cut-off year, and where no previous solar PV grant has been paid at that MPRN. Works must be done by an SEAI-registered company under a formal contract.
Clean Export Guarantee (CEG)
Administered by: Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU); paid by electricity suppliers
A regulated payment for electricity that a microgenerator exports to the grid rather than uses on site. The CRU requires every licensed electricity supplier to offer a CEG tariff to eligible customers, and your own supplier pays you for exported units, intended to reflect the wholesale market value of the electricity. Payment is based on metered export where a smart meter is installed, or on a deemed-export calculation where it is not. Suppliers set their own CEG rates, so tariffs differ between companies.
Who it is for: Any customer with a micro-generation (or small-scale) system that has been notified to and registered with ESB Networks. A smart meter enables payment on actual metered export; customers without one are paid on a deemed basis.
Income Tax Disregard on Microgeneration (CEG) Income
Administered by: Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners)
A tax exemption that lets households keep a defined amount of annual income from selling surplus microgenerated electricity (including CEG payments) free of income tax, USC and PRSI. It removes most typical domestic solar exporters from any tax liability on their export earnings; income above the disregard must be declared. The measure has a legislated end date and is periodically extended in the annual Finance Act.
Who it is for: Individuals who generate electricity for their own home from renewable microgeneration and receive payment for surplus exported to the grid. Confirm the current disregard amount and expiry with Revenue.
Zero Rate of VAT on Supply and Installation of Solar Panels
Administered by: Revenue (Office of the Revenue Commissioners)
A zero rate of VAT that applies to the supply and installation of solar panels on or adjacent to private dwellings, so eligible domestic installations carry no VAT on the panels or the ancillary equipment (such as inverters, wiring and batteries) installed under the same contract. The zero rate applies only where the panels are both supplied and installed under a single supply-and-install contract by the installer; DIY purchases of panels alone do not qualify, and non-residential premises fall outside it.
Who it is for: Private dwellings where a single contractor supplies and installs the system. Standard VAT rules apply to commercial premises and to supply-only purchases.
Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme (NDMG)
Administered by: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
A capital grant that helps non-domestic applicants install solar PV to generate electricity on site, with the grant scaled to the standard output of the system up to a scheme maximum. The applicant appoints a preferred company under a formal contract and must wait for SEAI's letter of offer before works begin; payment follows once required documentation is uploaded and any inspection is completed.
Who it is for: Businesses, the agricultural sector, public-sector bodies, schools, community centres and non-profit organisations. Installations that previously received SEAI support for solar PV under another scheme are not eligible.
Before you rely on any figure — check the official source
Solar incentive rates, tariff levels, budgets, eligibility thresholds and deadlines in Ireland change frequently, and several schemes run on limited budgets or fixed application windows. This guide describes each programme at the mechanism level and links to the official administering body so you can confirm the current terms for your own project and year. Never commit to a purchase on the strength of a headline number from a third-party site — including this one.
Once you know which schemes apply, the practical next step is a qualified local installer who can size the system, handle the grid registration and apply for the incentives that fit. Browse solar companies in Ireland → on Solar Directory.
Official sources
Every programme fact on this page is drawn from official government and agency sources. Confirm the current terms directly:
- https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/solar-electricity-grant
- https://www.cru.ie/consumer-information/microgeneration/
- https://www.esbnetworks.ie/services/get-connected/renewable-connection/micro-generation
- https://www.revenue.ie/en/vat/vat-on-property-and-construction/construction-fixtures-fittings-solar-panels/solar-panels.aspx
- https://www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/income-tax-capital-gains-tax-corporation-tax/part-07/07-01-44.pdf
- https://www.seai.ie/grants/business-grants/commercial-solar-pv
- https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/publications/micro-generation/
Solar support programmes in Ireland at a glance
| Programme | What it does | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| SEAI Solar Electricity (Solar PV) Grant | Domestic solar capital grant | Official page → |
| Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) | Export payment for surplus power | Official page → |
| Income Tax Disregard on Microgeneration (CEG) Income | Tax exemption on export income | Official page → |
| Zero Rate of VAT on Supply and Installation of Solar Panels | 0% VAT on home installs | Official page → |
| Non-Domestic Microgen Scheme (NDMG) | Business and farm solar grant | Official page → |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to register my solar panels with the grid before I can be paid for exports?
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Yes. Any grid-connected system must be notified to ESB Networks, normally via the NC6 form submitted by your registered installer, which registers you as a microgenerator. Only once you are registered can your supplier pay you under the Clean Export Guarantee, and ESB Networks will arrange a smart meter so exports can be metered. A retrospective registration route exists for systems connected before they were notified.
Who decides how much I get paid for exported electricity?
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The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) requires every licensed supplier to offer a Clean Export Guarantee, but each supplier sets its own export tariff, so the rate varies between companies. Your own electricity supplier pays you for the surplus you export, based on your smart-meter readings where available or a deemed calculation otherwise. Check current rates with individual suppliers and the CRU.
Is the SEAI grant and the export income taxable, and do I pay VAT on a home install?
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For a private home, the supply and installation of solar panels under a single supply-and-install contract is zero-rated for VAT, so no VAT applies to that work. Revenue also provides an income-tax disregard so a defined amount of annual microgeneration export income is untaxed, with any excess declared. Amounts, end dates and conditions change, so confirm the current position with Revenue and SEAI before you rely on it.
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