Solar diverters
A diverting charger such as myenergi's Zappi can send surplus solar into the car instead of the grid. Worth it if someone is home during the day, and much less so if the car is at work.
The grant
SEAI's domestic solar PV grant is worth up to €1,800 in 2026. You use an SEAI-registered installer, and the grant is paid after the job is finished and inspected. Solar has no effect on the separate €300 home charger grant, so you can claim both.
SEAI solar electricity grant · Citizens Information on solar grants
What suppliers pay for exported power
Under the Clean Export Guarantee, every Irish supplier has to pay for surplus power you send to the grid, but each one sets its own rate. These were the published rates when we last checked in September 2026, and they change, so confirm with your supplier.
| Supplier | Export rate | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Community Power | 20c per kWh | Among the highest standard rates |
| Electric Ireland | 19.5c per kWh | Published on its own microgeneration page |
| Energia | 18.5c per kWh | Standard microgeneration rate |
| Pinergy | 18.5c per kWh before VAT | Rate set from 1 August 2026 |
| SSE Airtricity | Up to 32c per kWh | Higher rate tied to installer partnerships |
| PrepayPower | 15.89c per kWh | Lowest of the rates we found |
Sources: supplier pages and an Irish export-rate comparison checked in September 2026. A higher export rate is worth little if the standing charge or day rate is worse, so compare the whole plan.
Does it stack up with an EV?
The honest answer depends on when you drive and when you're home. Charging overnight on an EV rate already costs around 10c per kWh, so solar power sent into the car at night isn't the win. Solar pays through daytime household use, through the export payment, and through charging on days when the car is home.
A rough way to size it up for a year:
- Self-consumed solar saves your day rate, which is usually 35c to 45c per kWh.
- Exported solar earns the export rate above, roughly 16c to 20c per kWh.
- Yearly saving is self-consumed kWh times the day rate, plus exported kWh times the export rate.
- Payback is the installed cost, minus the grant, divided by that yearly saving.
Installers quote generation for your roof and orientation. Ask for the self-consumption assumption behind any payback figure, because that is where optimistic quotes hide.
Batteries
A home battery stores cheap night power for daytime use. With an EV rate near 10c and day rates near 40c, the gap is what pays for a battery, so price it against that spread rather than against solar alone.
Winter reality
Irish solar output is heavily weighted to summer. Plan on the grid, and the cheap EV window, carrying your winter charging.
Referral rewards
Irish solar installers often pay for referrals: Activ8 Energies advertises €25 when a referral takes an appointment and €225 more if they install; Alternative Energy Ireland offers a €150 voucher; Renewables Ireland offers €100. Ask before you recommend a neighbour.