Solar panels for schools, clubs and community buildings
Plain-English guidance on the SEAI grants, the Department of Education schools programme, VAT and planning for community buildings – then quotes from SEAI-registered installers who size the system to how your building is really used.
Get Solar QuotesCheck Funding OptionsWhy solar suits community buildings – and where it doesn’t
Community buildings are run on tight budgets by boards of management, committees and volunteers, so every euro off the electricity bill matters. Solar can help, but the fit depends on when the building is busy.
Schools: strong in term time
Lights, computers, kitchens and pumps run during daylight hours from September to June. The catch is that solar peaks in summer when schools are closed, so holiday output is mostly exported.
Clubs: evening-heavy
Floodlights, showers and the bar run in the evenings and at weekends. Daytime use (fridges, hot water, gym equipment, office) is what solar offsets directly; a battery or a hot-water diverter may help.
Halls & parishes: intermittent
Community centres, parish halls and churches can sit empty for long periods. Smaller systems sized to the steady base load usually make most sense.
Grant routes exist
Schools, community centres, non-profit societies and public bodies are all listed as eligible for SEAI’s Non-Domestic Microgen Grant, now at an effective 45% rate for new applications.
Visible climate action
A roof full of panels, with a monitoring screen in the hall or foyer, is a teaching tool and a signal to members and parents.
Community ownership
Through a Sustainable Energy Community or a community-owned project, a parish or club can be the anchor for wider local energy plans.
Energy-use profile: size to what you actually use
- Pull 12 months of bills (or half-hourly data from a smart meter via your supplier). Note day, night and any peak rates.
- Find the daytime base load – fridges, servers, ventilation, water heating, emergency lighting. That is what solar offsets reliably.
- Note the dead periods – school holidays, close seasons, quiet weekdays. Output in those periods is exported.
- Check how many meters you have. Clubhouses, dressing rooms and pitches are sometimes on separate MPRNs; SEAI supports only one solar system per MPRN.
Exported power still has value
Surplus units are paid for under the Clean Export Guarantee, at a rate set by your electricity supplier. The Department of Education’s schools programme was designed on this basis: it notes that schools’ systems feed the grid when the school is closed. The financial guidance for schools from the FSSU explains how export payments appear as credits on the bill. Ask installers to show savings from self-consumption and export income separately.
Typical system sizes and roof options
Installers will assess roof structure, orientation, shading and your supply before proposing a size. A few useful reference points:
Department schools programme: up to 6 kWp
The Schools Photovoltaic Programme funds up to 6 kWp of roof-mounted PV per school – reported by the Irish Times as roughly 14 panels – including grid connection, monitoring and a display screen.
Bigger roofs, bigger systems
Secondary schools, sports halls and large community centres can often fit far more. SEAI’s own example puts 30 kWp at about 75 panels and 125 m² of roof.
Flat roofs
Many schools and halls have flat roofs. Ballasted frames add weight; mechanically fixed frames pierce the membrane. A structural check and roofer sign-off matter.
Pitched & slate roofs
Church and older school roofs may be slate and may be protected structures. Rail systems with slate hooks work, but planning and conservation rules come first.
Ground-mounted arrays
Free-standing panels are planning-exempt only up to 75 m² and 2.5 m high, and not in front of the building. Larger ground arrays need permission.
Carports at clubs
A canopy over the club car park can generate power and host EV chargers, but usually needs planning permission. Try our solar carport calculator.
See our system options guide for panels, inverters and mounting.
SEAI Non-Domestic Microgen Grant for schools and community groups
SEAI lists schools, community centres, non-profit societies and public sector bodies among those eligible for its Non-Domestic Microgen Grant. For new applications made between 6 October 2026 and 6 July 2027, SEAI pays the lower of the grant table and 45% of the invoiced cost, up to €325,200.
- Use an SEAI-registered Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) installer and sign a contract before applying.
- No works before the letter of offer, which is valid for eight months.
- The installer applies to ESB Networks before installing.
- One system per MPRN, building built before 31 December 2024, and no stacking with other State grant aid for the same works (SEAI terms).
- No extra grant for batteries.
- You need authority to install on the building – if grounds or halls are held by trustees, a diocese or a landlord, get written consent first.
Sports clubs and charities aren’t named separately on SEAI’s page; “non-profit societies” may cover them, so confirm eligibility with SEAI (01 808 2100) before you sign.
Checked 25 October 2026. Full process in 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):
| 10 kWp system | €7,200 |
| 20 kWp system | €13,200 |
| 50 kWp system | €25,200 |
| 100 kWp system | €45,200 |
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.
Other funding routes for schools and communities
Schools Photovoltaic Programme (Department of Education)
Phase 2 invited all remaining schools in November 2024. The Department’s programme page (last updated 2 October 2025) lists a registration deadline of 7 March 2025, a funding-application deadline of 31 October 2025 and a target completion date of 31 December 2025, with full funding of approved costs for up to 6 kWp. In February 2025 the Irish Times reported over 1,040 installations complete. We found no new phase announced as of 25 October 2026 – if your school missed it, ask your patron body or the Department, and consider the SEAI routes.
SEAI Community Energy Grant
Run through SEAI-approved project coordinators, with monthly application cycles. SEAI’s 2024 guidelines gave up to 50% for charities, not-for-profit and community facilities and public schools, and 30% for private schools – but solar PV is not supported as a single measure unless self-consumption can be independently verified, and co-funding with other schemes isn’t allowed. It suits a bundle of upgrades (lighting, insulation, controls, solar). SEAI’s GAA club case studies include Drumree GAA, whose project with solar PV received 50% support. Check the current year’s guidelines.
Sustainable Energy Communities (SEC)
An SEC is a local group – often including schools, clubs and parishes – supported by an SEAI mentor. Members can access €10,000 to €25,000 of SEAI funding for an Energy Master Plan, which identifies projects such as rooftop solar. Over 1,000 communities are involved.
Community-owned export projects
Larger community projects that export all their output can look at the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (above 50 kW; projects over 1 MW up to 6 MW are reserved for SMEs, farmers and Renewable Energy Communities). This is a bigger undertaking than a rooftop system.
EV charging for sports clubs
The Shared Island Sports Club EV Charging Scheme found 227 clubs suitable for charge points in 2024, with up to €15 million provisionally allocated (report). Check with ZEVI for any further rounds.
GAA Green Clubs
The GAA works with SEAI on its Green Clubs Programme; SEAI describes itself as the GAA’s expert energy partner (SEAI). Ask your county board’s sustainability officer what support is available.
VAT, charities and tax
0% VAT for recognised schools
Since 1 January 2024, supply and installation of solar panels on or beside a recognised primary or post-primary school is zero-rated, including batteries and wiring supplied under the same contract. One business must supply and install under a single contract (Revenue).
Other community buildings
Community centres, clubs, churches and other public buildings are not zero-rated. A supply-and-install contract may get the reduced rate if goods are no more than two-thirds of the contract value; otherwise 23% applies.
Can you reclaim VAT?
Many clubs and charities can’t: non-profit sporting facilities are an exempt activity under Schedule 1 of the VAT Act. Registered charities may get a partial refund under the Charities VAT Compensation Scheme – one claim a year for the previous year’s VAT, from 1 January to 30 June, from a €10 million fund paid pro rata.
Schools and RCT
Solar installation work is within Relevant Contracts Tax. The FSSU reminds boards to notify Revenue of the contract and payments and to deduct tax as instructed.
Planning permission for schools, clubs and churches
S.I. No. 493 of 2022 created a planning exemption (Class 61) for solar on educational buildings, health centres, recreational or sports facilities, places of worship, community centres and libraries. Outside a Solar Safeguarding Zone there is no limit on the roof area covered, subject to conditions:
- Panels at least 50 cm from the edge of a pitched roof (2 m on a flat roof).
- No more than 15 cm above a pitched roof, or 1.2 m on a flat roof.
- Wall-mounted panels are not exempt under this class.
- Free-standing panels up to 75 m² and 2.5 m high, not in front of the building.
- Electricity used primarily (more than 50%) within the site.
- No hazardous glint or glare.
- Inside a Solar Safeguarding Zone (near airports and some hospital helipads), rooftop panels are capped at 300 m² and the council must be notified within four weeks.
- Protected structures and Architectural Conservation Areas need extra care – many churches and older schools fall into this group (Department announcement).
General information, not legal advice. Talk to your council’s planning or conservation officer for older buildings.
Grid connection, batteries and EV charging
NC6 micro-generation
Up to about 6 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase: the installer notifies ESB Networks on form NC6 (ESB Networks). A 6 kWp school system usually falls here.
NC7 mini-generation
6–17 kVA single-phase or 11–50 kVA three-phase. Application fee €1,041.81 incl. VAT, offers typically in 8–10 weeks, and export can’t exceed your import capacity (ESB Networks). Many clubhouses are single-phase, which caps the inverter at 17 kVA.
Batteries & diverters
Useful where the load is in the evening (floodlights, showers). The schools programme does not fund batteries or diverters, and SEAI’s business grant adds nothing for them, so ask for a separate payback. See our battery storage guide.
Power cuts
Grid-tied solar switches off in a power cut, as SEAI explains. Backup needs a battery and a 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.
Type of building, roof, single- or three-phase supply, 12 months of bills and who owns the property.
Department programme, SEAI microgen grant, Community Energy Grant or SEC – we explain which may fit and the timing rules.
SEAI-registered installers check the roof, supply and usage, then quote in writing with a grant calculation.
Compare quotes like for like with our comparison guide, then sign a contract and apply for the grant before any work starts.
ESB Networks connection, installation (ideally in holidays or the off-season), then the grant claim and export registration. More on how it works.
Choosing an installer: checklist for boards and committees
- SEAI-registered Non-Domestic Microgen (Solar PV) company.
- Experience with schools, clubs or public procurement if your organisation must follow it.
- Sizes the system from your usage, showing self-consumption and export separately.
- Checks roof structure, membrane warranty and any heritage constraints.
- Plans site safety around pupils, members and the public, and schedules work at quiet times.
- Handles NC6/NC7 and supplies monitoring your volunteers can use.
- Safe Electric registered electrician; certificates at handover.
- Clear warranties and a written grant calculation.
Schools & community solar FAQs
Is the Department of Education schools solar scheme still open?
Its published Phase 2 deadlines (registration 7 March 2025, funding applications 31 October 2025) have passed, and we found no new phase announced as of 25 October 2026. Check with the Department or your patron body.
Can a school use the SEAI business grant?
Yes – SEAI lists schools as eligible. You can’t combine it with other State funding for the same works, so ask SEAI how it applies if you already have Department-funded panels on the same meter.
Can a GAA or sports club apply?
SEAI lists non-profit societies and community centres; clubs aren’t named separately, so confirm with SEAI. The Community Energy Grant has funded GAA club projects that included solar.
Do schools pay VAT on solar panels?
Recognised primary and post-primary schools get the 0% rate under a single supply-and-install contract. Other community buildings don’t.
Do we need planning permission for panels on the church roof?
Places of worship are covered by the Class 61 exemption, but many churches are protected structures or in conservation areas, where you should talk to the council first.
What happens to power generated during the summer holidays?
It’s exported to the grid and paid for under the Clean Export Guarantee at your supplier’s rate.
Who owns the panels if the grounds are held by trustees?
The applicant must have authority to install. Get written consent from the property owner or trustees before signing anything.
More answers on our FAQ page and industries we service. Households in your community on Working Family Payment may qualify for extra help – see our WFP solar grant page.
Get your school or community solar quote today
Tell us about your building and we’ll match you with SEAI-registered installers who’ll survey, size to your usage and quote. Or call 089 450 4544
Sending an enquiry is not an official grant application. You can also email sales@solar123.ie.