6 AUGUST 2025
Small-scale systems deliver record financial benefits as deployments accelerate nationwide
Irish households and businesses with small-scale solar panel systems have collectively saved over €100 million on their electricity bills so far this year, according to current figures from the Kilowatt.ie Solar Tracker, a platform tracking small-scale renewable energy generation in Ireland. The milestone makes 2025 the first year for savings to cross the nine-figure threshold.
Solar Rollout Accelerates
The news comes amid record solar deployment according to figures from ESB Networks: Last quarter saw the highest number of new solar panel system connections to date, contributing to a cumulative 145,980 mini and microgeneration systems connected as of the 1st of July.
Solar adoption has surged in tandem with a notable reduction in system installation costs, with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) reporting median installation costs falling from €11,475 in 2023 to €10,650 in 2024 – a decrease of €825 year-over-year.
Abundant sunshine this June also helped accelerate progress towards the milestone.
€0 Electricity Bills Now a Reality for Some Households
With households now able to sell surplus solar energy to their electricity supplier, an increasing number of customers have managed to completely eliminate their electricity bills.
Dominic Ó Gallachóir, the programmer who developed the solar tracker, explained “Many households are now installing 20 panels or more, which over the course of a year can generate more electricity than the average household usage. This has helped an increasing number of customers to completely eliminate their bills or even receive a net payment from their electricity supplier”.
A nation once sceptical of its solar potential, it seems, is finally seeing some light.
Key Data Sources
– ESB Networks Renewable Distribution Connected Generation Report
– SEAI Retrofit Reports: 2024, 2023
– Kilowatt.ie Irish Solar Tracker