Ireland has introduced a €600 residential battery grant, effective from 6 October, as part of a wider package of solar, heat pump and business supports, opening a larger addressable market for battery installers, suppliers and energy-intensive firms weighing onsite generation.

The package adds grants of up to €9,000 for lower-income households installing solar and batteries, full funding for medically vulnerable households, and a €2,000 boiler scrappage grant for heat pump installations. For both household groups, funded systems are capped at 5kWh of battery storage and 4kW of solar, and solar grant eligibility extends to homes built and occupied before 2025. The package also includes business supports, with savings of up to 45% cited for solar thermal and heat pump installations.

SEAI is the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, the state agency that administers national residential and business energy grants and supports Ireland's transition to a low-carbon economy.

Solar Ireland is the Dublin-based trade association for Ireland's solar industry, led by Ronan Power.

Ronan Power, chief executive of Solar Ireland, said: "We have long called for the reintroduction of support for residential battery storage." William Walsh, chief executive of SEAI, said the agency has recorded a 200% increase in applications for some grants. Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said helping firms reduce overheads is central to improving competitiveness while businesses face high energy costs.

The grant reverses a gap in Irish storage policy: SEAI ran a €600 battery grant until it was withdrawn in February 2022, leaving 0% VAT on batteries supplied with panels as the main support. Its return lands as Irish solar output keeps setting records, with generation reaching 1.4GW in August, raising the value of storing surplus daytime power.

One industry estimate puts the installed base of solar-only homes without storage at between 80,000 and 100,000, a ready retrofit market for installers if SEAI confirms standalone eligibility for existing systems.

For the sector, a state grant that returns to the storage market after more than four years gives installers, suppliers and commercial buyers a clearer demand signal, while the 200% rise in some grant applications suggests installer capacity will be tested quickly.

Source: ESS News / SolarQuotes Ireland / reNEWS / WattCharger