BUSINESS IS TOUGH, INSTALLING COMMERCIAL SOLAR SHOULDN’T BE
Updated May 2nd, 2025
By Morgan Pierce
A new report by the National Economic and Social Council warns that without unity of action, and of purpose, Ireland’s climate action plan may be headed for heavy weather. “Our work finds that much of Ireland’s policy action for transition in the power sector is headed into fog,” said Dr Cathal FitzGerald, Senior Analyst at the Council, “Visibility and certainty are low, and key actors are not on the same page from a strategic standpoint.”
“It is important that these findings do not lead to paralysis,” Fitzgerald added, “The cost of inaction would be enormous and devastating.”
We have in our hands the opportunity to meet all of our domestic power needs – “to reach domestic net zero” – from renewable energy sources, Fitzgerald stressed. Unless we squander it.
At SolarSmart, we’re not in the business of squandering opportunities, or of letting our customers squander them. That’s one of the reasons we’ve put some time and effort into smartening up our website in the last month. As it is for most businesses, our website is our shop window, the first place potential commercial solar customers go to get a sense of who we are and what we do. We want ours to reflect our core strengths – experience, innovation, and customer support.
One of the things we’ve noticed is that while homeowners have embraced solar in droves, lots of schools, community groups and businesses lag behind. That’s why our newly designed website devotes a whole page to commercial solar with a guide for business owners.
Solar power has already caught the attention of some forward-thinking businesses – especially those, like the big food chains, whose stores and stock facilities have the roof space that make them ideal for generating electricity from solar.
Companies like Tesco, Supervalu, Centra and Co-op have seen the value of investing in solar to power their businesses. Not only have they lowered their energy costs, they have made their businesses more sustainable. In the hyper-competitive grocery sector “greening” their business practices is a major selling point when appealing to environmentally conscious consumers.
The same factors hold true elsewhere – for pubs, restaurants, hotels, for swimming pools, and sports halls. In fact, for any business, commercial solar represents an opportunity for long term cost savings.
Have a look at our website. What Nourish, Alltec Fibre and EI Travel Group have in common mightn’t be immediately apparent. Nourish is one of Ireland’s most trusted health food stores. Alltec Fibre has been a leading telecommunications installation company since 1998. EI Travel Group is one of Ireland’s premier luxury travel and tour operators.
Unique businesses, with similar challenges when it comes to energy. All have recently made the transition to powering their businesses with solar. The 54-panel solar PV system we installed at Alltec, for example, will generate 59,000 kWh or electricity each year, saving the business some €6,500 annually. And it has been possible to make those savings while also significantly reducing the company’s carbon footprint.
If those costs savings sound good, it’s equally important to note that there is money available to make the transition truly affordable at point of purchase. We’re talking about government backed grants and loans.
Commercial Solar Loans And Grants
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) provides a tiered system of supports for the installation of commercial solar under its “Non-Domestic Micro-Generation Support Scheme”. Businesses from farms, to retails stores, to warehousing, to light industry can access the grants outlined below:
- Up to 6kWp are €2,400, with an additional:
- €300/kWp for each extra kWp installed between 7kWp -20kWp
- €200/kWp for each extra kWp installed between 21kWp- 200kWp
- €150/kWp for each extra kWp installed between 201kWp-1000kWp
This means that installations up to 1MW are eligible for a grant of up to €162,600!
To fund the rest of a business’ energy transition, SolarSmart has partnered with Finance Ireland to provide our customers access to long term, low cost loans. Eligible business and farms can avail of between €25,000- €3,000,000, unsecured, for a period of up to 10 years.
If you are a business owner and want to grow your business while doing your part in Ireland’s transition to a greener, more sustainable economy, give us a call. We’ll be happy to make the process as easy as possible.
The business world is full of challenges. Installing Commercial Solar shouldn’t be one of them.
Why Choose Solar In Ireland?
Investing in a solar panel systems in Ireland can bring many benefits, including reduced energy bills, increased energy independence, and a reduced carbon footprint. If you are interested in installing a solar panel system in Ireland, it is also worth exploring the different grant options and green business loans available and seeking professional advice from one of our solar energy advisors.
Feel free to contact us for more information, we’re here to help.
