Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 March 2023
170. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the number of homes that have applied for SEAI solar grants; the number of homes that have been approved for solar for each year since its inception, up to and including 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10888/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) was approved by Government in December 2021, in order to support Ireland’s ambitious targets for micro-generation installations, under the Climate Action Plan. The MSS provides supports to both domestic and non-domestic applicants, in the form of grants which are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), up to a maximum of €2,400. Prior to the introduction of the MSS, the SEAI had been operating a "pilot" Solar PV grant scheme since 2018. To date SEAI has received over 34,000 applications in total for solar PV grants, supporting over 19,000 homes during this time. In 2022 alone, the SEAI provided €24.4m in grants towards the installation of 46.5 MW of Solar PV capacity. A breakdown of the number of homes that have applied and have been approved for SEAI Domestic solar PV grants for each year since its inception is provided in the table below.
|
Year |
Number of Applications |
|
2018 |
249 |
|
2019 |
3,676 |
|
2020 |
3,609 |
|
2021 |
7,084 |
|
2022 |
16,819 |
|
2023 |
2,950 |
|
Total |
34,387 |
