When does the 45% solar grant rate end?

The enhanced rate closes to new applications on 6 July 2027, after a nine month window that opened in October 2026. Applications submitted after that date are assessed at the standard rate, which was around 23% of eligible costs.

Do farms qualify for the SEAI commercial solar grant?

Yes. The agricultural sector is an eligible applicant type under the Non-Domestic Microgeneration Grant. A separate agricultural route exists through the Department of Agriculture, so farm applicants should confirm which scheme fits their system size and circumstances before applying.

What is the maximum commercial solar grant available?

The maximum is €325,200 during the enhanced window, available on systems up to 1,000 kWp. Larger systems may still apply, but the grant is capped at that figure and is limited to 45% of the invoiced cost.

Do I need grant approval before installation starts?

Yes. Works started before you receive your letter of offer are not eligible, and starting early disqualifies the application. Approval must be in writing first, and the offer then stays valid for eight months from the date it issues.

Does the commercial solar grant cover battery storage?

No. Non-Domestic Microgeneration Grant is calculated on solar PV capacity alone, so battery storage is not an eligible cost. You can still fit a battery with the system and claim the grant on the PV element, paying for the battery separately.

Commercial Solar Grant 2027 Ireland 45% SEAI Funding

Ireland’s commercial solar grant for 2027 is worth an effective 45% of eligible installation costs, capped at €325,200. That rate holds until 6 July 2027, after which new applications revert to the standard Non-Domestic Microgeneration Grant level.

The increase came out of the National Energy Affordability Taskforce and applies to new applications only. Existing grant offers were not uprated and stay at their original value.

For a business, farm, school or community organisation weighing a solar install, a nine-month window changes the capital arithmetic for a fixed period. The practical question is how quickly an application can be lodged before that window shuts.

How Much Is the Commercial Solar Grant in Ireland for 2027?

SEAI pays an effective 45% of eligible costs under the Non-Domestic Microgeneration Grant (NDMG), to a maximum of €325,200. The per-kWp bands run from 1 kWp to 1,000 kWp, and larger systems can still apply with the grant held at the cap.

The payment is worked out in two steps, and both matter:

SEAI calculates a grant value from your system size using its published per-kWp bands.
After the works, you submit the invoice, and SEAI pays the lower of that band value or 45% of the invoiced cost.

A lower final invoice therefore produces a lower grant. The 45% acts as a ceiling on what SEAI will pay against real spend. SEAI publishes the per-kWp bands the first step is calculated from, and your installer will confirm the figure for your system size at quotation stage.

Grant detail	Standard NDMG	Enhanced rate until 6 July 2027
Support level	Around 23% of eligible costs	Effective 45% of eligible costs
Maximum grant	€162,600	€325,200
Maximum system size	1,000 kWp (1 MWp)	1,000 kWp (1 MWp)
Applies to	All eligible applications	New applications only

When the Enhanced 45% Solar Grant Rate Ends

The enhanced rate closes to new applications on 6 July 2027. It opened in October 2026 and runs for nine months in total. Anything applied for after that date falls back to the standard rate, which sat at roughly 23% of eligible costs beforehand.

Three conditions decide whether a project sits inside the window:

Only new applications attract the higher rate.
Existing offers will not be uprated, so an older approval stays at its original value.
Where works have already started on an existing offer, there is no route back to claim the higher amount.

That last point catches people out. If a project is part-built on a 23% approval, the enhanced rate cannot be applied retrospectively, so the sequencing of approval and works is what protects the funding.

Who Can Apply for the Non-Domestic Microgeneration Grant

The scheme is open to non-domestic buildings with a grid connection, across six broad applicant types. Ownership structure matters less than the building’s use and its connection status.

Businesses
The agricultural sector, including farms
Public sector bodies
Schools
Community centres
Non-profit societies

Sports clubs, parish halls and private schools generally apply under the community or non-profit headings rather than the business one. The building needs its own non-domestic connection, so a shed metered off a domestic supply will not qualify on the commercial scheme.

Application Rules That Decide Whether the Grant Gets Paid

Grant approval must be in writing before any installation work begins. SEAI states that works started before the letter of offer are not eligible, and that rule is applied strictly. The order of events is fixed:

Choose a registered SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) company and agree a formal contract.
Apply online to SEAI and wait for the letter of offer, which stays valid for eight months.
Your installer applies to ESB Networks for the connection, a step that takes at least 20 working days.
The system is installed, tested and signed off.
Your installer uploads the completion documentation to SEAI.
SEAI processes payment, typically within four to six weeks of receiving everything.

One administrative detail is worth flagging early. Where grants from a government body exceed €10,000 in a calendar year, a Tax Clearance Certificate is required, applied for through Revenue Online Service.

Why the Real Deadline Lands Well Before July 2027

The 6 July 2027 date applies to the application, and several things have to be finished before you can make one. In practice, that pulls the working deadline back by months rather than weeks.

Work backwards from these three fixed points:

A signed contract comes first. You cannot apply until you have chosen a registered company and agreed the scope and price in writing.
Design and survey time sits before that. Roof structure, shading and connection capacity all shape the system size, and the system size sets the grant value.
ESB Networks needs 20 working days minimum once the installer applies, and that happens after approval, not before.

A business starting its procurement in spring 2027 is relying on quotes, a survey and a signed contract all landing inside a few weeks. Anyone scoping a commercial solar installation at that stage has little room for a revised design or a delayed board sign-off.

How the Commercial Grant Differs From the Domestic Solar Grants

NDMG covers non-domestic buildings only. Homes are funded through the separate domestic solar electricity grant and the home battery grant, which carry their own caps, their own eligibility rules and their own application portal.

Battery storage is another difference worth knowing. The €600 home battery grant introduced in October 2026 applies to domestic properties, and there is no equivalent battery grant on the non-domestic scheme. A battery can still form part of a commercial project, funded from your own capital rather than from NDMG.

What Farm Applicants Should Check Before Choosing a Grant Route

Farms qualify under NDMG as part of the agricultural sector. A separate route also exists through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the two schemes have different rules on system size, investment ceilings and application timing.

The two cannot be stacked. NDMG terms prevent the grant being combined with aid from any other Irish Government or State agency source for the same installation, so a farm picks one route for a given system rather than claiming against both. Reviewing the TAMS 3 route alongside the SEAI option at quotation stage is the sensible order, because the chosen route affects how the system is designed and sized.

Book a Commercial Site Assessment Before the July 2027 Deadline

Nine months sounds generous until you lay the survey, design, contract, approval and ESB Networks connection end to end. The enhanced rate rewards the projects that start their paperwork early, not the ones that decide in June 2027.

If a solar install is on the capital plan for your site, arrange a commercial site assessment now so the application is lodged well ahead of 6 July 2027.