Which County Installs the Most Solar Panels Per Capita?

A new study has revealed that Dublin has the 5th lowest rate of solar panel installations per capita in Ireland and that Meath has the most installations per capita.

Analysis of SEAI and CSO data shows that the Royal County had over 36 installations per 10,000 people in the first half of 2024, compared to just over 22 in Dublin.

This is not surprising – in Census 2022, just 3% of households in Dublin City had solar panels, compared to 11% in Meath.

In the first half of 2024, there were 3,014 solar installations in Dublin according to SEAI figures – by far the most in Ireland.

Overall, there were 13,498 grant-assisted solar installations across the country in the first 6 months.

But when looking at how many installations were carried out per 10,000 people, Dublin is among the worst performers, along with three Ulster counties.

Top 5 Counties – Solar Installations per 10,000 people

1. Meath – 36.14

2. Louth – 35.52

3. Clare – 34.93

4. Wexford – 33.94

5. Galway – 33.83

Co. Meath had the highest number of installations per capita in the first 6 months of the year, while neighbouring Louth was just a fraction behind the Royal County.

Interestingly, the only county in the ‘sunny southeast’ in the top 5 is Co. Wexford, although Carlow and Kilkenny are in the top 10.

All five of these counties are also among the top ten sunniest counties in Ireland.

Least Solar Installations per Capita

1. Longford – 16.08

2. Monaghan – 18.98

3. Donegal – 19.60

4. Cavan – 20.30

6. Dublin – 22.04

Longford had the lowest installation rate per capita in the first half of 2024 – with 16.08 installations per 10,000 people.

There were only 74 grant-assisted installations in the county during the first half of the year, according to the SEAI.

Longford was followed by three counties in Ulster – Monaghan, Donegal and Cavan.

Then Dublin, which had by far the most solar panel installations overall, is 5th from the bottom when looking at installations per capita.

Read the full study at EnergyEfficiency.ie.