Solar panels in Ireland
A 6 kWp system on a typical roof in Ireland generates 5,298 kWh a year, worth €1,277 in the first year against €10,050 spent up front. Everything below shows how that is worked out, on real climate data and this year's actual tariffs.
Where the money comes from
5,245 kWh in year oneEvery kilowatt-hour your roof makes is worth one of two very different amounts. Power you use as it is generated replaces power you would have bought, so it is worth the full retail price. Power you do not use goes to the grid at the export rate, which is far lower. The balance between those two is what actually decides whether solar pays here.
- Used in the house
- 1,574 kWh (30% of output) at 0.380 EUR/kWh, the retail price you avoid paying.
- Sold to the grid
- 3,672 kWh (70% of output) at 0.185 EUR/kWh, the export rate your supplier pays.
Averaged out, each kilowatt-hour is worth 0.243 EUR/kWh. That blended figure, not the headline retail price, is what drives every number on this page. Using more of your own power (an EV, a heat pump, a battery, or simply running appliances by day) shifts output from the lavender side to the mint side and raises it.
A year on the roof
883 kWh per kWp · PVGIS-SARAH3Output is not spread evenly. May is the strongest month at 692 kWh, 4.3× what December manages at 163 kWh. Annual totals hide that swing, which is why a system sized purely on your yearly bill tends to overshoot in summer and undershoot in winter.
The 25-year picture
- Everything the system saves and earns
- €29,993
- What you pay up front
- − €10,050
- Left over
- €19,943
25 years of avoided bills plus export payments, after maintenance and one inverter replacement.
Install cost after €1,800 of grant.
Straight subtraction, ignoring the fact that money arriving 25 years from now is worth less than money today.
Same result, in today's money
€8,417€19,943 spread over 25 years is not worth €19,943 today, because you could have done something else with the money in the meantime. Discounting future savings at 4% a year gives €8,417, the net present value. It is the honest number to compare against another investment, and the equivalent annual return is 10.7%.
On the same discounted basis the system pays for itself after 10.5 years.
When you break even
Your position starts at minus €10,050 on install day and climbs as the system earns. The line crossing zero is the payback point.
Cumulative cash position
Break-even in year 9Net position after each year (−net capex up front, then cumulative savings). Crossing the dashed line is payback.
How that figure is built
No step here is a rule of thumb. Every one of them is the same code path the calculator runs on your own address.
Start with the weather, not a brochure
PVGIS-SARAH3 holds satellite-measured irradiance for this location. For a 6 kWp array at 35° facing south it works out to 883 kWh per kWp per year. That is the number a brochure would round up.
Scale it to the system
6 kWp × 883 kWh/kWp = 5,298 kWh a year. Panels lose about 1% in year one and 0.4% a year after, so year one is modelled at 5,245 kWh.
Price each kilowatt-hour twice
30% is used in the house at 0.380 EUR/kWh, the rest exported at 0.185 EUR/kWh. Together: €1,277 in year one.
Subtract what you actually hand over
A 6 kWp install in Ireland runs about €11,850, less €1,800 of grant, so €10,050 out of pocket.
Run it for 25 years, honestly
Electricity prices rise 2% a year, panels keep degrading, maintenance costs about 1% of the system price annually, and the inverter gets replaced once. Total savings come to €29,993, clearing the upfront cost after 8.5 years.
What we assumed for Ireland
Change any of these and the answer changes. They are published so you can check them against your own bill and your own quote.
| System size modelled | 6 kWp at 35° facing south |
| Install cost before any grant | €11,850 |
| Grant or incentive | SEAI grant (EUR 700/kWp <=2, 200/kWp 2-4, cap 1,800); 0% VAT in price |
| Net cost to you | €10,050 |
| Electricity price you avoid paying | 0.380 EUR/kWh |
| Export rate paid to you | 0.185 EUR/kWh |
| Share used in the house | 30% of output |
| Electricity price inflation | 2% a year |
| Panel degradation | 1% in year one, then 0.4% a year |
| Maintenance | 1% of system cost a year, plus one inverter replacement |
| Discount rate for present value | 4% a year, real |
| CO₂ avoided | 1,187 kg a year · 28,007 kg over 25 years |
Estimate only, not a quote. Tariffs and grants change; figures use the rates on file for 2026 and an installer's survey will produce the exact number.
Questions people ask about solar in Ireland
- Is solar worth it in Ireland?
- A 6 kWp system in Ireland pays for itself in about 8.5 years and returns €29,993 of savings over 25 years against €10,050 spent up front. Your roof, orientation and shading move the result, which is what the calculator works out for your exact address.
- How much do solar panels cost in Ireland?
- About €11,850 for a 6 kWp install, less €1,800 of grant, so €10,050 out of pocket. Installers quote against your specific roof, so treat this as the middle of the range.
- What do you get paid for exporting solar power in Ireland?
- Exports are modelled at 0.185 EUR/kWh against a retail import price of 0.380 EUR/kWh. Because exporting is worth much less than using the power yourself, how much you consume during daylight matters more than the size of the array.
Your roof is not the average roof
Orientation, pitch, shading and how much power you use by day move these numbers more than anything on this page. The calculator runs the same model on your actual address.
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For the incentives, tariffs and the 2026 rule changes in detail, read our Ireland solar guide.