Solar Ireland has announced that the country’s total solar capacity has now exceeded 2 GW for the first time. This milestone comes only a few months after the group released its “Scale of Solar 2025” report in June, which recorded Ireland’s installed capacity at 1.76 GW as of May 31, 2025.
While the report highlighted utility-scale projects as the primary engine of growth, smaller systems have also made a notable impact. According to Solar Ireland, over 155,000 homes, businesses, and community groups are now generating their own solar power.
John O’Connor, head of program delivery at ESB Networks, said the combined efforts of homeowners and large-scale developers have been crucial. “The contribution of households installing rooftop solar and major renewable developers delivering large-scale projects has been instrumental in reaching this milestone,” he noted.
He added that supportive government policy has played a key role in the expansion of renewables, pointing to schemes like the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) and network investment programs such as PR5 and PR6. “The government’s commitment to renewable energy has been critical, providing policy certainty and financial support,” he said.
Solar Ireland CEO Ronan Power described the pace of progress as placing Ireland among Europe’s fastest-growing solar markets. The country’s first utility-scale solar farm only came online in April 2022, yet national capacity has since climbed to 2.1 GW.
Power said: “Crossing the 2 GW mark is far more than a milestone; it’s evidence of a sector delivering real change at real scale. Ireland’s energy transition is no longer a future ambition, it’s happening now, powered by thousands of people and projects across the country. In just three years, we’ve more than doubled our solar capacity and built a foundation that supports jobs, communities, and energy security – and the momentum is only growing.”
Ireland is targeting 8 GW of solar capacity by 2030. Power stressed that continued cooperation between industry leaders, policymakers, and grid operators will be essential to sustain the pace of development.
Although Ireland’s installed capacity still falls far short of the 20 GW reached by the UK earlier this month, the market continues to strengthen. During peak summer output, solar generation supplied more than 20% of Ireland’s electricity needs. For comparison, Switzerland—currently at 8 GW of installed capacity—expects to add around 1.5 GW of new PV systems across 2026 and 2027, rising to 1.8 GW in additional capacity by 2030.
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