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Minister O'Brien announces that installed solar capacity in Ireland passes 3 gigawatt milestone
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- Installed capacity – from rooftop solar to utility-scale solar farms – passes 3 GW
- Peak output from utility-scale solar farms reached a new record of 1.3 GW, meeting over a third of national electricity demand on the grid at that time
- Solar is now a key pillar of our electricity supply, and continues to grow at pace
Minister for Climate, Energy, and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien today announced another major milestone for solar energy in Ireland, with installed solar capacity passing the 3 gigawatt (GW) milestone for the first time. The roll-out of solar energy – from rooftop solar all the way up to utility-scale solar farms – continues to accelerate at pace.
The latest milestone comes just days after a new record for peak output from utility-scale solar farms was set on the national grid. At a point on Monday of this week, generation from utility-scale solar farms on the grid surpassed 1.3 GW – supplying one third of the country's total dispatchable electricity generation at that time.
Commenting on these developments, Minister O'Brien said:
"This week we have seen two major milestones for utility-scale solar – reaching 3 GW of installed solar capacity and establishing a new record for peak utility-scale solar farm generation [1.3 GW] at a given time on the grid. At times on Monday of this week, we saw utility-scale solar energy exceeding a third of the total electricity mix on the national grid. These milestones highlight just how rapidly solar energy, including the growing rooftop revolution, is becoming a major part of our energy system.
"With continued investment in solar – across homes, farms, businesses and large grid-scale projects – Ireland is building a growing source of homegrown, clean electricity, and strengthening our energy security."
Cathal Marley, Chief Executive Officer at EirGrid, said:
"The rapid growth of grid-scale solar on Ireland's transmission system is a clear sign of the progress being made in transforming how we generate electricity. Recent records, including surpassing a peak of 1 GW of solar generation for the first time in April and reaching a new peak of 1.3 GW this week, show the increasing contribution solar power is making to Ireland’s electricity fuel mix. These achievements demonstrate real progress in connecting more renewable energy to the grid, and its estimated 1 GW is enough to power around 500,000 customers. This comes as we continue to progress the most ambitious programme of work ever undertaken on the transmission system in Ireland, to support our economy and society."
Nicholas Tarrant, Managing Director, ESB Networks, added:
"This milestone underlines the growing role solar energy is playing in Ireland's journey to a low-carbon future. The contribution of both domestic solar panels and major renewable developers delivering large-scale projects has been instrumental in passing the 3 GW threshold.
"ESB Networks is currently delivering a major programme of investment in the Irish electricity network under Price Review 6 to enable the further growth of renewables and support Ireland's transition to a clean electric future."
Ireland's first grid-scale solar farm was energised in April 2022, and a rooftop revolution is already well underway across Ireland.
Over 200,000 homes across Ireland have installed solar panels
Over 120,000 homes have received Solar PV grants since the PV support scheme began.
Data from the CSO shows that over 200,000 homes across Ireland have installed solar panels – many with SEAI support and some without.
SEAI received over 31,000 applications for Solar PV in 2026 (to the end of July). This is a 76% increase on the same period in 2025.
Moreover, free solar panels have been provided to 2,000 schools across Ireland.
Where excess energy is produced, it can be sold into the grid under microgeneration.
Suite of support schemes
Government schemes such as the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS), and the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), incentivise the development of solar energy from households, communities, and large-scale developments.
Minister O'Brien continued:
"The successful solar growth in Ireland has been underpinned by clear government policy and targeted support schemes and measures. Through initiatives such as the Solar PV grant, and our various renewable electricity support schemes, solar deployment is supported at every scale. We are committed to funding the Solar PV grant for the lifetime of this government, up until 2030.
"Looking at renewable electricity as a whole, we now have over 8 GW of generation capacity connected to the network. To put that into perspective, we have added approximately 5 GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity in just 10 years. That includes a doubling of our wind energy capacity, along with establishing a strong solar energy supply. Just over 10 years ago there were 2 megawatts (MW) of solar in Ireland. Now there are over 3,000 MW."
ENDS
Notes to the Editor
To support solar deployment, the government has introduced a range of measures, including the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS), the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS), and the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). These schemes are helping households, businesses, farms, and communities to participate in Ireland’s renewable electricity transition.
Further information on the Domestic Solar PV grant is available at the following link: https://www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/solar-electricity-grant.