What is the current state of the Irish solar and storage market?
Ireland’s solar sector has reached a clear point of momentum and maturity. Solar is now firmly embedded in the national electricity system, having moved from an emerging technology to a mainstream infrastructure asset. By mid-2025, the Scale of Solar 2025 report recorded 1,767 MW of installed solar capacity. By the end of 2025, Ireland had surpassed 2 GW nationwide, underscoring the swift pace of deployment across both rooftop and utility-scale projects.
Rooftop solar has been a particular success story. Ireland achieved 1 GW of rooftop capacity in December 2025, now distributed across more than 170,000 homes, farms, businesses and community buildings. This rapid uptake shows how quickly households and organisations are adopting solar when policy frameworks are clear and accessible. Attention is now increasingly focused on integration and optimisation. Battery storage and hybrid projects are playing a growing role, reflecting the sector’s natural evolution toward higher system value and flexibility. Overall, the Irish solar market has decisively entered a delivery phase, with robust foundations set for the next wave of growth.
How would you assess the growth opportunities and the added value for 2026 and beyond?
The outlook for solar in Ireland from 2026 onwards remains very positive. The sector now benefits from a strong track record of delivery, solid policy alignment and growing public support. Utility-scale solar continues to advance through the RESS and corporate power purchase agreements, with over 860 MW of solar capacity awarded contracts in RESS 5, underlining sustained investor confidence. Rooftop and on-site solar remain among the fastest and most cost-effective options for households, farms, SMEs and public sector bodies seeking to reduce their energy costs.
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From an economic standpoint, the added value is substantial. According to KPMG’s Sunrise report, if Ireland meets its 2030 solar target, the sector could deliver €2.3–€2.7 billion in gross value added between 2025 and 2030 and support over 7,000 jobs by the end of the decade. Beyond capacity figures, solar’s value is in what it enables: lower daytime wholesale prices, reduced reliance on imported fossil fuels, increased regional investment, and faster progress on economy-wide electrification. From 2026, the focus will increasingly shift to system efficiency and economic competitiveness, not just installed megawatts.
What are the remaining major hurdles?
Encouragingly, most of the remaining challenges are well understood and addressable. As solar scales up, the focus naturally turns to grid delivery, planning consistency and integration with storage. These are typical growing pains for a fast-evolving infrastructure sector, rather than barriers to further deployment.
Scale of Solar 2025 highlights the importance of clear frameworks for hybrid projects, ongoing improvements to planning and permitting processes, and ensuring grid investment keeps pace with demand. Addressing these priorities will help projects transition more smoothly from consent to operation and maximise the value of existing assets. Importantly, none of these issues threaten the fundamental case for solar in Ireland. They reflect the sector’s success and scale, and the need to adapt supporting systems accordingly.
What can the government do to overcome these challenges?
Government action so far has established a strong foundation, and the next phase will be defined by delivery and coordination.The PR6 framework, which permits up to €18.9 billion in electricity network investment between 2026 and 2030, sends a strong positive signal. Translating this into timely, on-the-ground upgrades will be crucial for supporting continued renewable growth.
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Progress on private wires legislation is another welcome step. Government approval to begin drafting the Private Wires Bill paves the way for local decarbonisation, especially where grid timelines or costs could otherwise delay projects, while maintaining a robust grid-first approach. Maintaining stable rooftop supports and providing clarity for hybrid and storage projects will further reduce risk and help sustain deployment momentum. Collectively, these measures can significantly accelerate delivery while reducing system costs.
How important is European cooperation?
European cooperation is a significant asset for Ireland’s solar sector. EU frameworks influence planning timelines, building standards and market design, helping align Ireland with best practices across Europe. This shared approach strengthens investment confidence, supply chain resilience and speeds up learning across markets. Ireland also brings valuable experience to the table. As a small island system integrating renewables at pace, the lessons learned here are increasingly relevant at the European level. Solar deployment is now a shared European infrastructure challenge, and collaboration is essential to meet it effectively.
Interview by Hans-Christoph Neidlein
