Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 December 2025
172. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the respective number of approvals and drawdowns for the solar electricity grant, by county, to date in 2025, in tabular form; the average award under the grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68557/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraGrants are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for domestic installations of solar PV. The SEAI has provided the attached table in response to the Question raised by the Deputy. The SEAI has also provided the following additional notes on the data:
• “Apps Received” refers to the number of first approvals. When an application is successfully received, the homeowner receives a letter of offer. This column answers the question about the number of approvals per county in 2025.
• “Properties Upgraded” refers to the number of paid applications per county in 2025, so this column addresses the drawdown question.
After approval, homeowners have 8 months to complete the works. Additional time may be required if the property is selected for inspection. As a result, about 40% of applications approved in a given year are paid in the following year. Therefore, a direct comparison cannot be made between “Applications Received” and “Properties Upgraded”.
Some homeowners do not proceed after approval and do not complete the works. The SEAI has observed a conversion rate of about 88–90% in recent years.
The SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that such queries can be addressed promptly, in line with the SEAI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@seai.ie.
