Solar panels for car dealerships, garages and car parks
Showrooms, workshops and forecourts use power all day – and EV charging is adding more. Get clear advice on rooftop solar, solar carports, EV charging, the SEAI grant and capital allowances, then quotes from SEAI-registered installers.
Get Solar QuotesCheck Your Grant OptionsWhy solar suits the motor trade
Dealerships and garages combine large roofs, open car parks and a daytime load that is growing fast as more electric cars come through the door. That makes them natural sites for solar, whether on the roof, over the car park or both.
Daytime trading hours
Showroom lighting, workshop equipment, offices and valeting all run while the sun is up, so most solar output is used on site.
EV charging demand
Charging demonstrators, customer cars and stock adds a large, flexible daytime load – ideal for soaking up solar.
Roofs and car parks
Showroom and workshop roofs plus customer and display parking give two places to generate. Carports also shade cars and keep customers dry.
Grant up to 45% of cost
The SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Grant now pays the lower of its table amount and 45% of invoiced cost for new applications.
Tax relief on PV and chargers
Photovoltaic systems, inverters and EV charging equipment all appear on SEAI’s Triple E register for Accelerated Capital Allowances.
A strong EV story
Selling electric cars from a solar-powered showroom, with charging under solar canopies, is a message customers understand.
Energy-use profile: where the units go
We don’t publish typical savings – installers should model your own data. Get 12 months of bills, or half-hourly data from your supplier, and look at these loads:
Showrooms
High lighting loads, display screens, and heating and air conditioning in glazed buildings that heat up on sunny days – when solar output peaks.
Workshops
Air compressors, vehicle lifts, diagnostic equipment, tyre machines, welders, extraction and heating. Compressors often run all day.
Valeting & wash bays
Pressure washers, vacuums, hot water and drying. Steady daytime load.
EV charging
AC chargers for stock and demonstrators, and possibly DC rapid chargers for customers. Charging can be scheduled to follow solar output.
Forecourts & shops
Fuel pumps, shop refrigeration, lighting and coffee machines run long hours, often seven days a week.
Public car parks
Lighting, barriers, pay machines, CCTV and ventilation in multi-storeys. EV charging is becoming a revenue line.
An energy audit can show where to cut waste first. SEAI offers SMEs a €2,000 audit voucher where the site spends at least €10,000 a year on energy.
Rooftop solar or solar carports?
Rooftop
- Usually the cheapest per kWp and normally planning-exempt (see below).
- Workshop roofs are often profiled steel or fibre cement – installers check the structure, roof lights and, on older sheets, possible asbestos.
- Showroom roofs may be flat or curved; ballast weight and membrane warranties need checking.
- SEAI’s example puts a 30 kWp system at about 75 panels and 125 m² of roof.
Solar carports & canopies
- Generate over space you already use, with shade and shelter for display and customer cars.
- Integrate EV chargers neatly at each bay.
- Cost more than rooftop per kWp because of steelwork, foundations and drainage.
- Almost always need planning permission (see below), plus ground investigation and a structural design.
- Estimate how many bays you could cover with our solar carport calculator.
Installers will assess roof, ground and supply before proposing a size. See our system options guide for panels, inverters and mounting.
SEAI grant & tax relief
Dealerships, garages and car park operators can apply for the SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Grant on systems from 1 kWp to 1,000 kWp. For new applications made between 6 October 2026 and 6 July 2027, SEAI pays the lower of its table amount and 45% of invoiced cost, up to €325,200.
- Use an SEAI-registered Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) company and sign the contract before applying.
- No works before the letter of offer, which is valid for eight months – tight if a carport also needs planning, so sequence carefully.
- Premises built before 31 December 2024, one system per MPRN, and no stacking with other State grant aid for the same works (SEAI terms).
- The grant is for the PV system; it adds nothing for batteries, and EV chargers are a separate cost.
Accelerated Capital Allowances: 100% first-year write-off for qualifying listed equipment under s.285A TCA 1997, extended to 31 December 2030 (Revenue eBrief 028/2026). SEAI’s Triple E register lists “Photovoltaic Systems” and “Inverters” and, under Electric and Alternative Fuel Vehicles, “Electric Vehicles and Associated Charging Equipment”. Grant-funded cost generally can’t be claimed as well; check with your accountant.
VAT: commercial buildings don’t get the 0% rate. Supply-and-install contracts may get the reduced rate if goods are no more than two-thirds of the contract value (Revenue). VAT-registered motor businesses can normally reclaim it.
Checked 25 October 2026. See our solar grants guide.
| 1 kWp | €1,800 |
| 2 kWp | €3,600 |
| 3 kWp | €4,200 |
| 4–6 kWp | €4,800 |
| 7–20 kWp | €600 per kWp |
| 21–200 kWp | €400 per kWp |
| 201–1,000 kWp | €300 per kWp |
| Maximum grant | €325,200 |
Worked table amounts (our arithmetic, applying each band in turn – the bands add up exactly to SEAI’s €325,200 maximum at 1,000 kWp):
| 20 kWp system | €13,200 |
| 50 kWp system | €25,200 |
| 100 kWp system | €45,200 |
| 250 kWp system | €100,200 |
For new applications from 6 Oct 2026 to 6 Jul 2027, SEAI pays the lower of the table amount and 45% of your invoiced cost. Checked 25 Oct 2026 – confirm on SEAI before you sign.
EV charging: rules, supports and solar
Charge points in car parks
Under Ireland’s implementation of the EU buildings rules, existing non-residential buildings with more than 20 parking spaces needed at least one recharging point from 1 January 2025, and new or majorly renovated buildings with more than 10 spaces need a charge point plus ducting for at least one in five spaces. Buildings owned and occupied by SMEs are exempt (Mason Hayes & Curran summary).
Grants for chargers
We could not confirm a current State grant for business charge points as of 25 October 2026. Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) runs targeted schemes, such as a 2024 scheme for sports clubs; check zevi.ie before you budget.
Make chargers follow the sun
Smart chargers and load management can ramp charging up when solar output is high and down when the workshop is busy, keeping you inside your import capacity.
Rapid chargers & MIC
DC rapid chargers draw a lot of power. Your Maximum Import Capacity (MIC) may need upgrading with ESB Networks; solar and a battery can reduce peaks but don’t remove the need for adequate supply.
Planning permission for dealerships, garages and car parks
Rooftop solar on business premises is generally exempt from planning under Class 56(e) of S.I. No. 493 of 2022, with no area limit outside a Solar Safeguarding Zone. Key conditions:
- Pitched roofs: panels no more than 15 cm above the roof plane; flat roofs: no more than 1.2 m.
- Panels at least 50 cm from a pitched roof edge (2 m on a flat roof); light industrial buildings have slightly different limits.
- Wall-mounted panels are not exempt on business premises.
- Electricity used primarily (over 50%) on site; no hazardous glint or glare.
- Free-standing panels (which includes most carports) are exempt only up to 75 m² of panel area and 2.5 m high, and not forward of the front wall. Carports over display or customer parking will usually exceed this and need permission.
- Solar Safeguarding Zones near airports and aerodromes: rooftop arrays capped at 300 m² and council notified within four weeks.
- Protected structures and Architectural Conservation Areas need extra care (gov.ie; Fieldfisher).
General information, not legal advice. For carports, ask your installer or a planning consultant for a pre-planning view from the council.
Grid connection and batteries
NC6 micro-generation
Up to about 11 kW on three-phase: the installer notifies ESB Networks on form NC6 (ESB Networks). Suits a small garage.
NC7 mini-generation
11–50 kVA three-phase (6–17 kVA single-phase). Fee €1,041.81 incl. VAT; offers typically within 8–10 weeks; export can’t exceed your MIC; don’t install until the agreement is signed (ESB Networks).
Larger dealerships
Above 50 kVA is small-scale generation, up to 200 kVA; above 200 kVA goes through the ECP process. Allow time within your grant offer.
Batteries
A battery can store midday surplus for evening charging and trim peaks from rapid chargers. SEAI’s business grant doesn’t fund it. See our battery guide.
Export
Surplus is paid under the Clean Export Guarantee at your supplier’s rate. Planning exemptions require most output to be used on site.
Power cuts
Grid-tied solar switches off in an outage, as SEAI explains; backup needs a battery and changeover switch.
How it works
Solar123 is an independent advice and quote-matching service based in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. We don’t install. We help you understand the options, then – only with your consent – pass your enquiry to SEAI-registered installers who survey and quote.
Showroom, workshop and car park layout, roof types, supply and MIC, 12 months of bills, and EV charging plans.
Rooftop versus carport, grant and ACA, planning, grid category and how to sequence it all.
SEAI-registered installers check roofs, ground and supply and quote in writing, with a grant calculation.
Use our quote comparison guide to compare like for like, including chargers and load management.
Planning (for carports), SEAI letter of offer and ESB Networks connection, then installation and the grant claim. More on how it works.
Choosing an installer: checklist for motor businesses
- SEAI-registered Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) company.
- Carport experience: structural design, foundations, drainage, lighting and vehicle impact protection.
- Can design solar, chargers and load management as one system.
- Handles NC7 or larger ESB Networks applications and any MIC upgrade.
- Plans work around trading hours and keeps the forecourt safe.
- Safe Electric registered electrician; certificates at handover.
- Clear warranties on panels, inverters, steelwork and chargers.
- Written grant calculation and payment terms.
Dealership & garage solar FAQs
Do solar carports need planning permission?
Usually yes. Free-standing panels at business premises are exempt only up to 75 m² and 2.5 m high, which most carports exceed.
Can the SEAI grant cover a solar carport?
The grant supports solar PV systems on business premises. Ask SEAI and your installer to confirm how a carport system and its steelwork are treated before you sign.
Are EV chargers eligible for capital allowances?
EV charging equipment is listed on the Triple E register under Electric and Alternative Fuel Vehicles. Your accountant should confirm the claim.
Do we have to install EV chargers?
Existing non-residential buildings with more than 20 parking spaces needed at least one charge point from 1 January 2025, unless owned and occupied by an SME.
Will solar run our rapid chargers?
It will offset part of their use on sunny days, but rapid chargers need adequate grid supply. A battery can help manage peaks.
How long does it take?
Roof systems can move quickly once the grant offer and ESB Networks agreement are in place. Carports add planning time.
Can we sell solar power to customers through our chargers?
Charging can be a revenue line, but how you price it and any supplier or operator arrangements need specialist advice.
More answers on our FAQ page and industries we service.
Get your dealership or garage solar quote today
Tell us about your site and we’ll match you with SEAI-registered installers who’ll survey, design rooftop or carport solar with EV charging, and quote. Or call 089 450 4544
Sending an enquiry is not an official grant application. You can also email sales@solar123.ie.