Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
107. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if there are any circumstances SEAI grant supports are available for households which have had solar panels installed but the application had not been submitted before work commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38069/23]
View answerThe Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) provides capital grants through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for domestic applicants for Solar PV, with grant amounts up to a maximum of €2,400.
Since 2018, the SEAI has supported the installation of domestic Solar PV systems for almost 27,800 homes, with demand for the domestic Solar PV grant increasing significantly throughout 2022.
In 2022, the SEAI received 16,819 applications to the Domestic Solar PV programme, which resulted in grant support for 10,017 homes, at a cost of €24.4m and a total installed capacity of 46.5 MW. This is a substantial increase on the numbers from 2021 when 4,077 homes were supported, and 16.3 MW installed.
The MSS was allocated €29.4m in Budget 2023 and as of the end of July, 10,552 applications have been supported. With such continued strong levels of demand seen since the start of this year, in conjunction with Government's decision to reduce the rate of VAT on the supply and installation of solar panels to 0%, it is expected that application levels will exceed initial projections.
All applicants must ensure grant approval is received from the SEAI prior to installation work commencing. It is not possible to apply for a grant for work already underway or complete, as costs incurred prior to grant approval are ineligible. SEAI’s Solar PV Grant requires that a homeowner applies for and is approved for the grant before works are started. This is the case for all SEAI domestic grants. This Programme is funded by the Exchequer and SEAI is bound by governance rules in paying out financial supports. SEAI is obliged to apply these rules equitably to all applicants.
Pre-installation approval for solar PV grants helps ensure that installations are carried out by a registered installer following the SEAI’s Installer Code of Practice; available at https://www.seai.ie/publications/SPV-Code-of-Practice.pdf. The Installer must certify that the solar PV system installation has been designed, installed, tested, and commissioned in accordance with this code of practice, and other relevant codes, standards and building regulations.
