Ask ten people what the SEAI solar grant for businesses is worth and you will get ten different answers — because the honest answer is “it depends on two numbers”. This page shows you those two numbers and works through real examples at 20, 50 and 100 kWp, so you can see exactly what a system your size would receive at the current enhanced rate.
One thing first: the 45% rate is an enhanced rate, and it only applies to new applications made between 6 October 2026 and 6 July 2027. If solar is a live possibility for your premises, the application date matters as much as the system size.
The two numbers that decide your grant
The grant is SEAI’s Non-Domestic Microgen Grant, for systems from 1 kWp up to 1,000 kWp installed by an SEAI-registered installer. Your grant is the lower of these two figures:
1. The band total for your system size. The grant is built up in bands, added together as the system grows:
- First 1 kWp: €1,800
- 2 kWp: €3,600 in total
- 3 kWp: €4,200 in total
- 5–6 kWp: €4,800 in total
- From 7 to 20 kWp: €600 per extra kWp
- From 21 to 200 kWp: €400 per extra kWp
- From 201 to 1,000 kWp: €300 per extra kWp
- Maximum grant: €325,200
2. 45% of your invoiced eligible cost.
Whichever figure is lower is your grant. That single rule explains every example below.
Worked examples
The installed costs below are example costs for illustration — your quote will depend on your roof, your wiring and your installer. The grant maths is exact.
20 kWp — a café, a large shop, a small warehouse
- Band total: €13,200
- Example installed cost: €26,000 → 45% of cost = €11,700
- Grant: €11,700 (the 45% figure is lower) — you pay €14,300
- The band total only becomes your grant if 45% of your invoice reaches it — at a cost of about €29,300 or more, the grant tops out at €13,200 and stays there.
50 kWp — a food business, a medium warehouse, a hotel
- Band total: €25,200
- Example installed cost: €50,000 → 45% of cost = €22,500
- Grant: €22,500 (the 45% figure is lower) — you pay €27,500
- At an installed cost of €56,000 or more, the grant reaches the full €25,200 band total.
100 kWp — a larger warehouse, a manufacturer, a big roof
- Band total: €45,200
- Example installed cost: €90,000 → 45% of cost = €40,500
- Grant: €40,500 (the 45% figure is lower) — you pay €49,500
- At an installed cost of about €100,400 or more, the grant reaches the full €45,200 band total.
Notice the pattern: at typical installed costs, it is usually the 45% of your invoice that decides the grant — which is why the enhanced 45% rate, and its 6 July 2027 closing date for new applications, matter so much.
Run your own numbers in a minute
We have built a free calculator that does this maths for any system size and any quote: the Solar Grant Calculator. Enter your system size in kWp and the installed cost you have been quoted, and it shows you the band total, the 45% cap, which one applies, and what you would pay after the grant.
The two rules that protect your grant
1. Letter of offer first — before any work, and before you commit.
Do not start the installation, and do not sign up with an installer, before SEAI issues your letter of offer. Work started early can disqualify the grant entirely. The letter of offer is valid for eight months, so there is time to do the job properly once it is in hand.
2. Use an SEAI-registered installer.
The grant only applies to installations by SEAI-registered installers. If you need one, we can point you in the right direction — you deal with us, and we handle the grant paperwork alongside your energy contracts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum SEAI solar grant for a business?
€325,200, for systems up to 1,000 kWp — and always subject to the lower-of rule: the band total or 45% of your invoiced eligible cost, whichever is less.
When does the 45% rate end?
The enhanced 45% rate applies to new applications made from 6 October 2026 to 6 July 2027. Applications after 6 July 2027 will not receive the enhanced rate.
Can I claim the grant and the tax write-off together?
Yes. Alongside the grant, the Accelerated Capital Allowance lets a business write off 100% of the cost of qualifying equipment against tax in the first year. The two supports are separate — the grant cuts your up-front cost and the allowance improves the return. Your accountant can confirm how it applies to you.
Does the grant reduce what I pay for electricity afterwards?
Indirectly, yes — every unit you generate is a unit you do not buy. At the average price the smallest Irish businesses paid in the first half of 2026 (35.6c per kWh, from SEAI’s own statistics), self-generated electricity is worth real money every month. A free review of your current bill will show you what your usage is worth before and after solar.
Talk it through first — it costs nothing
If you are weighing up solar, start with the numbers: run the calculator, then send us a recent electricity bill for a free, no-obligation review. We will tell you what you are paying now, what a system your size would do to that bill, and whether the grant application is worth making before 6 July 2027.
Sultan Nazir
Business Utility Broker
086 197 3828
businessutilitybroker.ie