COMMUNITY SERVICES SOLAR
Updated May 1st, 2026
If you’re following us on LinkedIn or Instagram (and you should be!), you might have seen my colleague Darren Doyle, our head of PV Engineering, bragging about a couple of our larger recent Community Services Solar projects.
North Dublin’s Sheriff Youth Club, which has been serving young people in the inner city for decades, and Borris Lodge Nursing Home in County Carlow have made the move to solar under SolarSmart’s care.
These are both such exciting projects that I’m happy to join Darren in spreading the word.
Sheriff Youth Club started life in the cellar of a local pub back in 1972. Nowadays the club boasts a fine record of football success, and an academy fostering love of the sport and important skills in young players. Away from the pitch, the clubhouse provides a space for an after-school club, badminton, and weekly bingo.
Sheriff Street can also lay claim to some famous members, including the late Boyzone singer Stephen Gately and Laurence Kinlan, the actor who played Elmo on the RTE drama Love/Hate.
As Darren pointed out in his post on LinkedIn “This community gem has been a beacon for young people in the inner city for decades, and now it’s shining even brighter — powered by the sun!”
After a thorough roof survey, our team designed and installed an array of Jinko high efficiency solar panels capable of harvesting 32 kWp of electricity from the sun’s rays.
The system will dramatically reduce the club’s energy bills. Money saved will free up much needed funds for the club’s vital work in the community.
Community Services Solar from the Young to the Old
From the very young, to the very old, solar energy is a smart way of looking after our communities.
Community services solar can provide significant, long-term savings for care homes and other residential facilities for the vulnerable.
We have all seen the toll that cold, damp conditions or poor lighting can take on elderly relatives or friends. Who doesn’t have a story of a loved one “living in one room” because they can’t afford to keep the whole house warm. Things are no different in a nursing home – the medically vulnerable are most in need of stable, well-lit, warm environments. Their additional medical needs can also necessitate heavy electricity use for life-sustaining medical equipment.
Solar can be a gamechanger. By offsetting a nursing home’s high 24/7 energy demands through sustainable on-site electricity generation, solar systems improve operational resilience and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. That makes Solar ideal for reducing costs in the healthcare sector.
We were delighted when Borris Lodge Nursing Home in Carlow asked us to help them install solar. It’s important, especially when dealing with the needs of a facility like a care home, that an installer is knowledgeable enough to be able to walk the client through all the specifics. And we felt confident we were the right fit for this job.
It’s also really gratifying to see health care facilities wanting to be part of the green transition. It shows a commitment to the future as well as to the current needs of their clients.
The 60kWp system we installed is supported by a grant from the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEAI) Non-domestic Microgeneration Grant worth around €15,000, and we were able to guide Borris Lodge through the application process. The system we installed will deliver strong savings and pay for itself in 2–3 years.
If you or someone you know is elderly or medically vulnerable and living in their own home, there is help available for them, too.
The SEAI provides free home energy upgrades to homeowners who get certain social welfare payments. Those grants can be linked to the Solar grant to help those most in need stay safe and warm in their own homes.
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.
