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CHALLENGES NAVIGATING THE system to avail of grants for solar panels are holding back some businesses and farmers from applying, according to an industry insider.
The government has introduced new grants, planning exemptions and other supports in recent years to encourage households, farms, businesses and community venues to install solar panels that will allow them to generate their own renewable power.
However, many prospective solar-switchers are held back by uncertainty over how to navigate the web of supports, said Pat Smith, chair of the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation.
Speaking to The Journal, Smith described the experience of trying to secure a grant for some as a “bureaucratic nightmare”.
He said Ireland needs “an easy, accessible grant support system that empowers people to make positive decisions about adopting renewables now rather than at some point in the future”.
“They keep telling us that there’s an emergency out there – well it’s definitely not in the Department [of Environment],” he said.
“They’re very slow at moving stuff on and that’s an immediate issue that they need to clarify with the business community and farming community what supports are available and make them immediately available.”
He said a “lack of clarity on what supports are available is creating paralysis in decision-making”.
“They need to declutter what’s going on because the grants that people tried to get last year, they’ve been a bureaucratic nightmare.”
Significantly expanding the proportion of energy generated in Ireland from renewable sources is a key ambition under climate plans to reduce dependency on damaging fossil fuels.
Much of this energy will be produced through commercial wind and solar farms but smaller-scale generation on a local and individual level is also expected to play a role.
There are a range of different supports and grants available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) – though for some, the cost is still prohibitive.
In October, the government introduced new planning exemptions for rooftop solar installations aimed at simplifying the process on buildings used for housing – including apartments – , industry, business and agriculture, as well as community spaces like hospitals, libraries, and places of worship.
Smith said that the change “definitely has removed an inhibitor to people progressing with solar PV”.
However, it came much later than intended. The timeframe laid down by the Climate Action Plan indicated the legislation would be in place in the first half of the year.
Meanwhile, a scheme to pay small-scale energy generators for excess energy they export back to the grid, known as the Microgeneration Support Scheme, suffered serious teething problems last year.
The relevant legislation was signed into law in February and Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan had said that eligible microgenerators would start to receive payments from 1 July, depending on their billing cycle.
Both the Department of the Environment and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) stated customers could expect to receive their first payment by 31 August at the latest, which would be backdated to February where applicable.
Despite those assurances, the majority of energy suppliers did not commence payments in July or August. Only one could confirm to The Journal in September that it had started payments by the end of August.
Some energy providers have begun to issue payments, though others still have not.
The latest information provided by Electric Ireland to customers on its website is that payments be made on the next scheduled bill after 2 December, which for most customers would be in January or February 2023.
Bord Gáis intends to make a single payment once a year once a microgenerator has been exporting excess energy for a full twelve months, with payments starting from March 2023.
Energia says it has “developed payment arrangements for customers with microgeneration and are working hard to deliver these payments”.
The transition from fossil fuel dependency to renewable sources like solar and wind is part of Ireland’s wider national plans to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and help to prevent global temperatures from further rising. If left unchecked, the climate crisis carries the threat of severe and widespread destruction around the world.
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Took me over six months to get the domestic grant payment. I had to chase it up constantly and everything went into them perfect. I Still haven’t got the payment from Energis 10 months later. If I owed them money that long, I would have no electricity. Why is there no fine or punishment to them for sticking the fingers up to the rest of us?
As with most grant systems only certain registered companies can be used. Then these companies charge more normally to the value of the grant.
@Craic_a_tower: Unfortunately that’s what usually happens when government subsidises a scheme or service. Suppliers take the P***. Happened years ago when government introduced a grant for central heating. Central heating installation went up by 2 grand over night.
Same with HAP. That has also driven rents up (as government won’t build):
@Fr. Fintan Stack: don’t agree on HAP and most landlords don’t and never wanted it hence they made it illegal to refuse
@Craic_a_tower: “don’t agree on HAP” – ??
So what are you saying? HAP hasn’t contributed to greed?
There’s no grant for a new build unfortunately which doesn’t make a huge pile of sense to me anyway. Will need to go without for now and hope to get them further down the road. If anyone knows any way around this, I’d love to hear.
Problem is the rip off sales people. Quoting people for things they don’t need, won’t work.
Also the price difference from different installers can’t be doubled for the same system.
I was luckily enough to get 7panels(2.5kw) for €2500 after the grant early last year. Price is almost doubled now. I’m going to DIY 4 or maybe 8 onto the shed roof next month ad seems the only affordable way at the moment.
There is a good thread on boards.ie i woild suggest anyone thinking of investing to read/post thete before committing to a purchase
@pkunzip doom2.zip: The quote I was given was 9k for mine, when I got my ducks in a row 2 months later it was 23.
@pkunzip doom2.zip: you’re right, a friend of mine, a carpenter, was quoted €15000 after the grant. He bought the panel and system from a company in Northern Iteland and installed the panels, the inverter, and cabling himself and got an electrician in to wire it up and certified it all for around the €7500 mark. Companies are ripping customers off.
I got solar panels 3 years ago and was assured I would qualify for grant. Assessor came out and said house was up to ber standard. Next day got call to say it wasn’t unless I provided information and rating for installed windows. Company I used for all new windows had gone out of business. It’s a joke.
Will housing trusts and country councils be installing panels on houses? If not why not?
@Mary Fitzsimons: they have been upgrade council owned property for years at no charge to the residents. It actually seems unfair on the neighbours who bought their properties from the council. As for trusts they are charities who try to house as many people they can but you seem to think they should provide better than people buying their own property.
Sun Arc Solar Systems do the majority of the grant work for the homeowner, I had my grant back in 6 weeks after the installation from this company.
@Charmaine ☘ Irish: Thing is, say for me as an example is the money you have to pay for the job. I wouldn’t be able to get a loan at my age to upgrade my home. Unless you have the money first go then it’s a non runner for a lot I’d imagine.
@Dave Barrett: yes, I get what your saying, if anyone had the money, it makes sense to get it as the money you have in the bank account or under the mattress wouldn’t give the same return as solar power.. it is a really sound investment.. but if your of a certain age, maybe idly might not make sense
I went with Activ8 and they did all the paper, they reduced the cost I paid them by the amount of the grant. I didn’t have to do a single thing
Overall the grant needs to be more or remove the vat from it
Like Charmaine I had my grant back in 8 weeks and the installer JM Energi Ballingeary did everything connected to the grant
I got my solar PV a year ago and the grant process was all online and almost all of it was done by the contractor, nice and simple. I put in a heat pump 6 months ago and the process was all by paper and post, involving me sending parts of forms to different people to fill in their bit and then have to wait for them to come back and send on to the next person, before collating it all to send onto SEAI. All very time consuming, slow and tedious. I don’t understand why they have different systems for different grants.
The worst part isn’t the grant process, it’s trying to get a contractor. It’s like they are interviewing the customers and deciding if you are worthy of their time. I feel sorry for anyone that has a non standard installation, as they will find very hard to get a contractor.
It’s the overall cost that is putting people off
From a domestic point of view I found it very easy and efficient. I applied and the same day they got back to me saying it was approved. Then 3 weeks after the installer sent in their paperwork the grant was paid into my account.
I got my solar PV a year ago and the grant process was all online and almost all of it was done by the contractor, nice and simple. I put in a heatpump 6 months ago and the process was all by paper and post, involving me sending parts of forms to different people to fill in their bit and then have to wait for them to come back and send on to the next person, before collating it all to send onto SEAI. All very time consuming, slow and tedious. I don’t understand why they have different systems for different grants.
The worst part isn’t the grant process, it’s trying to get a contractor. It’s like they are interviewing the customers and deciding if you are worthy of their time. I feel sorry for anyone that has a non standard installation, as they will find very hard to get a contractor.
I refurbished an old house and filled all the forms for SEAI , got BER, technical assessment fully compliant registered contractor as required. Spent €€€€ on roof, walls, floor, heat pump. Still waiting for ‘Michelle’ in SEAI to deal with my claim ……..! Complete waste of time !
This could be solved by a process that allowed the householder to sign the grant over to the installer, with a robust auditing process and the use of approved installers. That process works in other areas.
If every building had wind/solar… hmmm
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