SEAI business solar grant rises to 45%: 6 October 2026 to 6 July 2027

• Rate: for new applications in the window, the grant paid is the lower of the amount on your application summary or 45% of the invoiced cost.
• System size: systems from 1kWp to 1,000kWp are eligible. Larger systems can apply for the maximum grant.
• Maximum: SEAI raised the grant to an effective 45% of eligible costs for applications from 6 October 2026, for nine months; check the current maximum on seai.ie.
• No top-ups: existing applications are not increased, because State aidEU rules limit how much help a government can give a business. rules do not allow grandfathering. If you have already started works, you must rely on your existing offer.

The standard grant bands

SEAI also publishes standard grant amounts by system size: €1,800 for 1kWp, €3,600 for 2kWp, €4,200 for 3kWp and €4,800 for 4 to 6kWp, then €600 per kWp for 7 to 20kWp, €400 per kWp for 21 to 200kWp and €300 per kWp for 201 to 1,000kWp. SEAI's page does not explain how these bands interact with the enhanced 45% rate, so ask your installer for the figure on your application summary.

The scheme is open to businesses, the agricultural sector, public bodies, schools, community centres and non-profit societies.

1. Choose an SEAI-registered Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) company and sign a formal contract before applying.
2. Do not start any works until you receive your letter of offer.
3. Your installer must apply to ESB Networks for connection before installation, which takes at least four weeks (20 working days).
4. Complete the installation within the offer period. Offers are valid for eight months from the date of the letter.
5. Your installer uploads the documents, ideally within one to three days of completion. SEAI pays 4 to 6 weeks after it has all documents, or longer if an inspection is needed.

Solar is not the only support. SEAI also offers SMEs an energy audit voucher of up to €2,000 towards a professional energy audit, which can help you size a system properly. Budget 2027 gave Local Enterprise OfficesOne of a network of 31 local offices, based in local authorities, that act as a first stop shop for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Ireland. an extra €4.5 million, including for energy efficiency grants for small businesses.

You need a valid tax clearance certificate for government grants over €10,000 in a calendar year, so check yours before you apply.

Timing is everything. Apply by 6 July 2027 to get the enhanced rate, and remember the eight-month offer period and the ESB Networks lead time. Busy installers may book up as the deadline gets closer.

The grant is paid after the work is done, so your company funds the full cost first. Illustrative example: a system with an invoiced cost of €100,000 could attract a grant of up to €45,000, if that is within your application summary value. The company pays the installer €100,000, then receives the grant 4 to 6 weeks after all documents are submitted.

Solar may also have tax angles. Equipment on SEAI's Triple E register can qualify for the Accelerated Capital Allowance, a 100% first-year deduction, but SEAI's ACAA Revenue tax relief that lets a company write off the full cost of qualifying energy-efficient equipment against its taxable profits in the year it is bought, rather than over several years. page does not say whether solar PV is a qualifying category. Check the Triple E register and ask your accountant how grants and allowances interact.

1. Get at least two quotes from SEAI-registered solar PV companies and compare system size, expected output, the grant value on the application summary and payback.
2. Ask each installer how quickly they can apply to ESB Networks and complete the job within the eight-month offer period.
3. Confirm your tax clearance is in place.
4. Plan how to fund the full cost until the grant is paid, using cash reserves or borrowing.
5. If you need a loan for the project, compare a green business loan and the SBCI Growth and Sustainability Loan Scheme, which gives eligible green loansA loan used to fund projects with environmental benefits, such as energy-efficient equipment, solar panels, electric vehicles or building upgrades. an extra 0.25% interest discount. You apply for GSLSA State-backed SBCI scheme offering loans of €25,000 to €3 million over seven to 10 years through participating lenders, for long-term growth, resilience or climate action projects. directly to a participating lender.
6. Read our guide to funding energy upgrades with SEAI grants, ACA and green loans.

If your company needs a general unsecured business loan to cover cash flow while it waits for the grant, our panel can consider it, subject to approval. Tell us what your company needs and we'll tell you honestly whether our panel can help, or where to apply instead. Welcome Finance is a commercial finance broker, not a lender, is not regulated by the Central Bank of IrelandIreland's financial regulator and part of the Eurosystem., and arranges business-purpose finance only for companies registered in Ireland (LTD, DACA type of Irish private company under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2014 that keeps an objects clause in its constitution, limiting what it can do, and uses the suffix DAC., PLCA company type under Part 17 of the Companies Act 2014., ULCA company under Part 19 of the Companies Act 2014 whose members have unlimited liability for its debts.).