Solar panels lighten the load for homeowners and the environment

Gleaming arrays of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are now a familiar sight on Irish rooftops, be they on bungalows, three-bed semis or business premises. This proliferation is largely due to the attractive grants offered for their installation, meaning that when the numbers are crunched, PV makes both financial and environmental sense even on this sun-starved isle.

The Solar PV scheme is a grant for homeowners that operates under the Microgeneration Support Scheme and is funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Only homeowners can apply and the house must have been built and occupied before 2021. The grant amount depends on the size of the system installed but is capped at €2,100.

According to the SEAI, solar panels can help to reduce electricity bills by generating renewable electricity but also increase the efficiency of and add to the value of your home. They also offer a chance to reduce reliance on electricity generated from fossil fuels.

“Solar PV is a reliable and sustainable source of renewable energy that can help reduce your reliance on grid electricity and the related cost volatility,” says an SEAI spokesperson. “Once installed, solar PV will provide electricity quietly, cleanly and affordably for 25 or more years, with minimal maintenance requirements.”

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Conor Walsh, managing director of Encon, a retrofit company based in the southeast, agrees. Walsh uses software to model the ideal scheme for a house and calculate how long it will take the PV panels to generate enough electricity to allow the homeowner to recoup their original investment. He says people are often shocked to hear that a solar PV system can cover its costs within a few years.

“A 10-panel system would cost, after the grants, €5,500 approximately, and you can expect to pay that back in five to six years at today’s electricity prices,” says Walsh.

In addition, homeowners can generate income by selling surplus electricity back to the grid over the lifespan of the system, he says. Solar batteries have become more efficient and much cheaper in recent years but Walsh notes that they are optional.

The SEAI recommends that any system is sized based on the home’s electricity needs, “as self-consumption is the most efficient use of the electricity that is produced”.

However, it adds: “If you generate more energy than you consume you can export excess electricity to the grid and benefit from payment for that exported electricity.”

This payment is known as the Clean Export Guarantee and microgenerators must have a smart meter installed in order to enter into an agreement with their electricity supplier.