Over €60,000 awarded to Laois homes for solar panels last month

More than €60,000 was awarded to Laois households for the installation of solar panels through grants in January, new figures have revealed. 

34 Laois homes installed solar panels on their rooftops last month with  with grant support from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) after a record-breaking year for installations in 2024.

January saw a total of €66,525 awarded under the Solar PV Scheme to households in the county with a total of €4.6 million awarded in residential solar grants across Ireland.

In 2024, a total of 526 solar installations were carried out in Laois, an increase of 154 on the year before. 

Nationally, there were 2,324 new solar installations in January, with the highest number recorded in Dublin (433), followed by Cork (264) and Limerick. 

READ NEXT: Buyer snaps up historic Laois Catholic hall

After the residential solar grant was reduced by €300 at the start of January, solar energy expert Briain Kelly of EnergyEfficiency.ie has warned of the potential negative impact these reductions could have on the adoption of solar PV.
“There are different grants available for solar, but the most well-known is the Solar PV Scheme which currently offers homeowners up to €1,800 for rooftop panels,” he said.

“Just two years ago, this grant scheme awarded a maximum of €2,400 – and it is the currently the only programme under threat as it continues to be reduced by €300 each year.”

“The reason the government has given for this is the declining cost of solar PV installations – a trend which they evidently expect to continue.”

“However, this goes against common sense given Ireland’s target of generating 80% of electricity from renewables by 2030 – and it also ignores the potentially significant psychological benefits of grants on solar adoption numbers.”