Ireland’s renewable energy transition accelerated significantly in 2025 as the country recorded a major expansion in photovoltaic capacity. According to Solar Ireland, cumulative installed capacity reached 2,345 MW by December 2025 across all PV segments, reflecting a substantial surge in deployment during the year. Approximately 1,005 MW of new installations were added in 2025 alone, more than doubling the additions recorded in 2024 and far exceeding the 543 MW installed in 2023. This rapid acceleration underscores the growing importance of solar power in Ireland’s strategy to decarbonize its energy system and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Utility-scale projects accounted for the largest share of installed capacity, with 1,322 MW generated from large solar farms. At the same time, distributed generation is expanding rapidly. Microgeneration installations now account for 727 MW, while mini-generation and small-scale commercial installations contribute 74 MW and 53 MW respectively. Non-exporting generation systems, where power is consumed on-site rather than fed into the grid, reached 169 MW by the end of the year. This balanced mix of large-scale infrastructure and decentralized rooftop installations reflects the versatility of solar energy as a technology that can scale across different sectors of the economy.
One of the most striking trends in 2025 was the rapid growth of residential rooftop systems. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) processed its 100,000th paid application under the Domestic Solar PV Scheme by the end of the year, demonstrating strong adoption among households. Industry leaders attribute this surge in installations to supportive government policies, including rooftop grants, a 0% VAT rate on residential installations, and increased investment in grid infrastructure. These measures have provided the policy stability and financial incentives needed to accelerate the adoption of solar power across homes, farms, and businesses.
Looking ahead, the sector’s outlook remains strong. Solar Ireland reports that approximately 1.7 GW of additional capacity is currently in the construction pipeline, suggesting continued growth in the coming years. Many of these projects are expected to be delivered through Ireland’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), which auctions contracts for renewable power generation. At the same time, new projects are increasingly integrating battery storage systems, allowing solar generation to be stored and dispatched when electricity demand is highest. This integration will be crucial for improving grid reliability as the share of renewable energy increases.
Solar deployment is also being positioned as a key tool to address Ireland’s high energy costs. Government initiatives such as the 2026 National Residential Retrofit Plan aim to combine rooftop solar installations with insulation upgrades and heat pumps to reduce household energy bills and improve energy efficiency. Because solar systems can typically be installed within weeks and immediately reduce daytime electricity consumption, they offer households a fast and practical way to gain greater control over energy expenses.
Together, strong policy support, rising household adoption, and a growing pipeline of projects indicate that Ireland is on a promising path toward its national target of 8 GW of installed solar capacity by 2030.
www.pv-magazine.com/2026/02/26/ireland-adds-1-gw-of-solar-in-2025/