Ireland’s total installed PV capacity grew by close to 160% in 2 years to reach 1.76 GW
Zero VAT and volatile energy prices are turning people to solar, as microgeneration capacity stands at 576 MW
Utility-scale solar leads with 885 MW as of June 17, 2025, with another 752 MW in the pipeline
Solar energy is booming in Ireland, with its total installed capacity soaring by 159.8% over the past 2 years. According to the latest Scale of Solar 2025 report from Solar Ireland, the country’s cumulative installed PV capacity reached 1.767 GW as of June 17, 2025, up from 680 MW in 2023.
In 2024, the country became a GW-scale market, having added 1.185 GW, representing a year-on-year (YoY) growth of more than 74%. In the month of May 2025, solar met 6.5% of the nation’s total electricity demand, a sharp increase from 3.2% in May 2024.
Further, on May 18, 2025, 21.1% of Ireland’s total electricity demand was met by utility-scale solar at 1:45 p.m., beating the previous record of 18.2% a year ago.
In terms of total installed capacity, the largest chunk comes from utility-scale projects of more than 5 MW capacity. Driven by Ireland’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) and corporate power purchase agreements (CPPA), this segment contributes 885 MW across 19 sites, up from 349 MW in 2023.
Solar Ireland points out the growing investor confidence as well as expanding national impact of solar farms in the country, proving the maturity of the market. There is another 752 MW in the pipeline across 30 projects, it says.
Rooftop solar systems installed on homes and small buildings, clubbed under microgeneration, represent 576 MW of installed capacity, a 79% year-on-year (YoY) growth in 2024, and 55% over 2024-2025.
Popular for its ability to reduce electricity bills and protect families from volatile energy prices, this segment currently consists of more than 138,000 homes running on PV systems. The government’s policy of zero value added tax (VAT) on solar, in place since 2023, is a major driver for this segment (see Now No VAT On Solar In Ireland).
However, there is potential for over 1 million solar rooftops in the country, which the association says is essential to unlock for Ireland to meet its 2030 Climate Action Plan (CAP) targets.
Of the remaining capacity, 74 MW comes from 1 MW to 5 MW utility-scale solar,55 MW from mini-generation, 40 MW from small-scale, and 2.29 MW from 200 kVA-1 MW projects.
Ireland also has 135 MW of operational auto-production capacity – for self-consumption – across 840 connections, up from 95 MW in 2023. Installed on land, these are preferred by businesses, farms and organizations with higher daytime energy needs. Solar Ireland believes that this points to the growing preference for solar among more and more businesses.
Ireland has approximately 950 rooftop solar systems coming online every week and carries a project pipeline of over 21 GW of solar and solar-hybrid projects, whereas the country’s total target is 8 GW PV by 2030. To meet this official target, the country needs to install 780 MW to 1.33 GW annually.
Formerly known as the Irish Solar Energy Association, Solar Ireland also attributes the maturity of the country’s solar market to energy storage as battery operators move away from ancillary services to wholesale markets. This means charging when prices dip (often during high solar output) and discharging during peak demand.
Going forward, the association sees hybrid systems combining solar with storage and electric vehicles (EVs), AI-powered energy management in C&I sites, and floating solar as the top 3 technology trends to watch out for.
The complete report is available for free download on Solar Ireland’s website.
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