As of May of this year, Ireland reached 2.7 GW of connected solar capacity, according to the Scale of Solar 2026 report.
The latest performance report on the Irish solar market by Solar Ireland was launched at the association’s annual Solar Ireland conference and trade show event in Dublin on 18 June, showing promising results for the small nation’s PV market.
Of the 2.7 GW figure, more than 1.5 GW is from the utility-scale segment. Small-scale generation in residential and commercial settings are also performing very well. Microgeneration exceeds 800 MW, while more than 190,000 homes and businesses have solar panels. This data comes from ESB Networks’ grid connection and capacity data as of May 31, 2026.
The government has supported thousands of domestic and commercial solar rooftop installations, and the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien TD confirmed at the Solar Ireland conference that the existing grant for the installation of rooftop solar panels will remain in place for the lifetime of the current government. The grant is worth up to €1,800.
As Solar Ireland CEO Ronan Power said in his foreword to the report, Ireland’s solar market is “increasingly defined by delivery” instead of solely by ambition.
The 2026 report shows the strong presence of solar in everyday life. Ireland’s solar sector is maturing as solar becomes increasingly embedded in the energy mix helped by record generation peaks throughout the recent summer months. In the 12 months up until May, solar generated more than 1.1 TWh of electricity, the highest annual solar output recorded to date.
While the report showed good results, it also highlighted that Ireland is beginning to develop the ‘duck curve’ as seen in a lot of mature solar markets like Germany and Spain. The duck curve – because the fluctuation in the data looks like a duck’s beak when presented on a graph – illustrates the reduction in demand for solar during peak generation hours compared to the rapid increase in demand in the evenings when generation slows.
The report calls for continued investment in “flexibility, battery storage and network infrastructure to maximize the value of renewable generation.”
Batteries are beginning to participate in electricity markets to provide flexibility services and the state is in the process of opening the electricity market for full participation of batteries.
Data from KPMG quoted in the report on the economic value solar provides in Ireland showed continued growth in the sector could contribute more than €2.3 billion in gross value added by 2030. Policy certainty, a healthy investment environment, support schemes, workforce development and market design are all essential to ensure this value is realized.
Meanwhile, Eirgrid, the Irish transmission system operator (TSO) said in its latest annual report that 394 MW of new renewable projects were connected to the system between 1 Oct. 2024 and 30 Sept. 2025. Solar was the majority, with 180 MW connected, followed by wind (151 MW) and storage (63 MW).
Eirgrid also launched its corporate strategy for 2026 out to 2030. “Our key priorities are twofold: to securely operate the grid of today while planning for the grid of tomorrow,” said Cathal Marley, the TSO’s CEO. “That means balancing supply and demand in a complex and fast-changing environment, preparing the system to operate at very high levels of renewables, guiding future market investment and supporting economic growth.”
It will focus on delivering the government’s previously announced €18.9 billion investment package in the Irish electricity system, which includes onshore renewables delivery, 450 km of new transmission lines, circuit upgrades, 65 new substations, and local projects.
Eirgrid is targeting 100% renewable energy by 2035 and 95% by 2030. It is also aiming to build at least 500 MW of long duration energy storage.
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