Ireland’s solar momentum is real. The system now needs to catch up.
SolarPower Europe’s latest EU Solar Market Outlook confirms what we are seeing on the ground in Ireland: solar is delivering, but systems and policy now need to move faster to keep pace.
Across the EU, solar deployment continues to grow strongly towards 2030. Germany, Spain and Italy remain the largest markets, while many smaller countries, including Ireland, are scaling rapidly from a lower base. However, the report also highlights a clear shift. Around one quarter of EU countries are now projected to miss their national 2030 solar targets under current conditions.
This is not a technology problem. It is a system delivery challenge.
Ireland’s progress in context
Ireland’s solar growth stands out. Installed capacity has increased sharply, rising from around 1.8 GW DC (c. 1.1 GW AC) in mid-2024 to approximately 3.2 GW DC (c. 2.1 GW AC) by late-2025, driven by a mix of utility-scale projects, rooftop solar, and a growing share of non-exporting and auto-production systems.
This pace reflects strong investor confidence, public engagement, and the ability of solar to deploy quickly when conditions allow. It also confirms that solar is now a core pillar of Ireland’s electricity system, not a niche technology.
Why 2030 remains challenging
Despite this progress, the Outlook indicates that Ireland is likely to reach its national solar target after 2030 under current assumptions. The reasons are structural rather than sector-specific.
Grid delivery timelines, access to connections, and the limited scale of storage ambition across Europe are emerging as the key constraints. While most EU countries now reference energy storage in national strategies, overall ambition remains modest relative to projected solar build-out.
What needs to happen next
For Ireland, the message is clear. Continued solar deployment must be matched by:
Faster grid investment and delivery
Clear, investable frameworks for storage and flexibility
Policies that support local generation, self-consumption and system-aligned solar
Solar is ready. The opportunity now is to ensure the wider system enables it to deliver fully for households, businesses and the wider economy.
Note: SolarPower Europe reports solar capacity in DC. In Ireland, solar capacity is typically reported in AC. Where relevant, AC-equivalent figures are shown in brackets for clarity, using standard DC–AC conversion ratios.