Do PV Solar Panels catch enough sun in Ireland?

Last Updated on 09/11/2023 by Robert Browne

Our climate in Ireland is well suited for PV Solar Panels, saving you money on electricity bills. Do PV Solar Panels catch enough sun in Ireland?

Thousands of people like you are getting solar panels for their homes and businesses. But are solar panels worth it in Ireland? Do they catch enough sun to perform? Will they save you money on electricity? All valid questions. On the one hand, solar panels can give you big savings on your electricity bills. On the other hand, solar panels come with a significant up-front cost. At Solar Stream we have finance packages to suit everyone, we can also assist you in grant processes that are available from time to time.

The Two Types of Solar Panels

There are two different types of solar panels available on the market? The first type is solar thermal. Thermal means heat and that’s exactly what solar thermal panels provide – hot water. Solar thermal panels can be worth it if you use a lot of hot water, and you don’t have enough roof space for the second type of solar panel: Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels which is what Solar Stream provides for homes and businesses across Ireland.

Solar PV panels produce electricity directly from daylight. This is a great advantage because electricity is such a versatile form of energy. You can use electricity from solar PV panels to give you hot water and power everything else in your home too. Better still, solar PV is now more cost-effective than solar thermal. Overall, solar PV is almost always the better option for new solar energy systems in Ireland. So let’s focus on solar PV from here on.

Do PV Solar Panels Give a Decent Output in Ireland?

Solar panels can produce power from either daylight or sunlight. But do we get enough light to make solar panels worth it in Ireland? Well, yes – our climate is better suited to solar energy than most would assume. Specifically, a medium-sized solar panel system generates around 3,000 units of electricity per year in Irish conditions. That’s enough to cover around 70% of the electricity use for an average Irish household. So yes, a modern solar panel system can give a very decent output in Ireland.