Aiko's own pages put its Neostar panels at up to 24.8% module efficiency, and that efficiency will not add a cent to your SEAI grant. The grant is "paid on a pro rata basis", in SEAI's words, on panel capacity counted in kWp. Nine of Aiko's 440 W panels and eight of its 495 W panels both come to 3.96 kWp, so the better panel reaches the same capacity with one panel fewer. On a small or awkward roof that is worth a lot. On a big clear one it is worth almost nothing.
There is a second reason to read the model name on the quote. Aiko puts two warranty lines on every residential Neostar page, one labelled product and one labelled performance. Only the product one moves. On Aiko's own pages, one model gets 30 years of it and the other four get 25.
- Five Neostar models appear on Aiko's product pages, from 440 W up to 545 W.
- The top of the range is 24.8% module efficiency, on the Neostar 3S54 at 480 W to 495 W.
- That same model is the only one listed with a 30-year product warranty. The other four get 25 years.
- Every residential Neostar gets a 30-year performance warranty. Aiko allows no more than 1% of output to go in the first year, then no more than 0.35% a year.
- The grant stops at 4 kWp of panel capacity either way. A better panel gets you there with fewer panels, not with more money.
The Five Neostar Models Aiko Publishes
Aiko's homeowners page points at three Neostar panels, and two more sit on its product pages. The cells behind them are what pv magazine calls "all-back-contact (ABC)", a design that leaves the panel with "a grid-free front surface".
Five models appear on Aiko's own residential and product pages. The figures below are Aiko's, taken from each model's page.
Aiko's spec sheet for the 3S+54 Dual-Glass gives that panel glass on both faces, 2.0 mm on the front and 2.0 mm on the rear. The 2S54 Mono-Glass gets a single front glass cover, 3.2 mm thick.
- Neostar 2S54 Mono-Glass. Rated 440 to 470 W, up to 23.6% efficiency, with a 25-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty.
- Neostar 3S+54 Dual-Glass. Rated 460 to 475 W, up to 23.8% efficiency, with a 25-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty.
- Neostar 2P54 Mono-Glass. Rated 450 to 485 W, up to 24.3% efficiency, with a 25-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty.
- Neostar 3S54 Mono-Glass. Rated 480 to 495 W, up to 24.8% efficiency, with a 30-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty.
- Neostar 3S+60 Dual-Glass. Rated 515 to 545 W, up to 24.6% efficiency, with a 25-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty.
The last one is the odd entry for a house. The Neostar 3S+60 Dual-Glass is rated 515 W to 545 W, well above the others, and yet its efficiency of 24.6% sits below the 24.8% of the Neostar 3S54.
Aiko puts the same degradation limit on all five pages: no more than 1% of output in the first year, then no more than 0.35% a year after that.
One Neostar Has 30 Years of Product Cover. The Others Have 25.
The performance line reads 30 years on all five models. The product line reads 25 years on four of them, and 30 years on the Neostar 3S54 Mono-Glass, which is the 480 W to 495 W panel.
Nobody should pick a panel on five years of paperwork alone. It matters because the names are close enough to be read wrong. The Neostar 3S54 and the Neostar 3S+54 are not the same panel. One is rated 480 W to 495 W with a 30-year product warranty. The other is rated 460 W to 475 W with 25 years.
"Aiko 480 W" does not tell you which panel is going on the roof. "Neostar 3S54 Mono-Glass, 480 W" does. Ask the same of the inverter and the mounting system. We keep the longer list of what belongs on a quote in our guide to vetting a solar installer.
What 24.8% Buys on an Irish Roof
SEAI describes mono-crystalline panels as "typically, the most efficient commercial solar panels at converting light into electricity", and puts a typical module at 1.8m x 1.0m, approximately 40mm thick, and in the region of 20kg each.
Work it through against the grant ceiling, which is 4 kWp. Nine of Aiko's 440 W panels come to 3.96 kWp. Eight of its 495 W panels come to the same 3.96 kWp. Same capacity, same grant of €1,792, one panel fewer on the roof.
On a long unshaded south-facing roof, that saves you very little. Where it counts is the case SEAI itself makes. Among the things that decide system size, SEAI lists available area, and says the available roof area "may restrict the system size, particularly in smaller homes". So the case for paying an Aiko premium is a case about your roof rather than the brand.
SEAI's own guide gives the baseline to measure any premium against. Home systems "should range from around €1,500 - €2,000 per kW installed", before VAT. Our page on solar panel costs in Ireland breaks that down by system size, and the cost calculator runs the sums with the grant applied.
The Grant Does Not Care How Good the Panel Is
The SEAI Solar Electricity Grant is paid "on a pro rata basis" on panel capacity, to a maximum of €1,800. A 24.8% panel and a 23.6% panel of the same kWp therefore earn exactly the same grant. That is one ceiling on the size of a system. The next one is set somewhere else entirely.
The Grid Limit Sits on the Inverter
ESB Networks sets its limits on the inverter, not on the panels. The inverter is the part SEAI says sits inside your home and turns what the panels produce into electricity you can use. ESB Networks is blunt about what follows from that: "The inverter limits output to these levels even if additional generation is installed behind it".
So higher-wattage panels do not push you over any line. More panels behind an inverter inside those limits are allowed. Our page on maximum solar system size in Ireland covers where that sits. Solar inverters in Ireland explains why the inverter is what the rules attach to.
Are Aiko Panels "SEAI Approved"?
SEAI's grant page answers it plainly: "SEAI does not approve, guarantee, or warranty a company or their works". What it does require is on the same page. "You must select an SEAI registered company".
Those are the two lines that matter. So the list to check is not a list of panels. It is whether the company on your quote is on the SEAI registered company list. That is the requirement that can cost you €1,800. Our best solar panels for Ireland page compares Aiko against the other brands Irish installers specify. Jinko solar panels in Ireland covers the brand you are most likely to be offered instead.
How to Compare an Aiko Quote With the Others
Aiko's figures tell you what the panel is. Whether it is worth its premium depends on how much usable roof you have. The only way to find that out is to put the same roof in front of more than one installer and read what comes back.
Take three things off each quote and set them side by side: the full model name, the wattage, and the number of years on the product warranty. Without all three you are not comparing panels, you are comparing brand names.
Frequently Asked Questions
What efficiency are Aiko solar panels?
Aiko's residential Neostar pages run from 23.6% up to 24.8% module efficiency. The 24.8% figure belongs to the Neostar 3S54 Mono-Glass at 480 W to 495 W. Below it sit the Neostar 3S+60 Dual-Glass at 24.6%, the Neostar 2P54 Mono-Glass at 24.3%, the Neostar 3S+54 Dual-Glass at 23.8% and the Neostar 2S54 Mono-Glass at 23.6%.
What warranty do Aiko Neostar panels come with?
Every residential Neostar on Aiko's pages carries a 30-year performance warranty. No more than 1% of output may go in the first year, then no more than 0.35% a year. The product warranty differs. Aiko lists 30 years on the Neostar 3S54 Mono-Glass (480 W to 495 W) and 25 years on the Neostar 2S54, 2P54, 3S+54 and 3S+60. Get the full model name on the quote, because the names are one character apart.
Do Aiko panels get me a bigger SEAI grant?
No. The grant pays €700 per kWp up to 2 kWp, then €200 for every additional kWp up to 4 kWp, capped at €1,800. SEAI pays it "on a pro rata basis" on panel capacity, so efficiency does not enter into it. What efficiency buys is fewer panels for the same capacity. Nine 440 W Aiko panels and eight 495 W Aiko panels both come to 3.96 kWp, and both draw €1,792.
Are Aiko panels worth the extra money in Ireland?
It depends entirely on how much usable roof you have. The grant is paid "on a pro rata basis" on panel capacity, so a cheaper panel of the same kWp earns exactly the same €1,800. Where roof space is tight, SEAI's own point applies: the available roof area "may restrict the system size, particularly in smaller homes". SEAI's guide puts home systems at around €1,500 to €2,000 per kW installed before VAT, which is the baseline any premium should be judged against.
What is ABC cell technology?
ABC stands for all-back-contact. pv magazine says Aiko's design gives the panel "a grid-free front surface". The Neostar panels built on it run from 23.6% up to 24.8% module efficiency on Aiko's own product pages.
Will Aiko panels push me over the ESB Networks limit?
No, because that limit is not measured on the panels. ESB Networks applies it to the inverter, and says "The inverter limits output to these levels even if additional generation is installed behind it". Higher-wattage panels behind a compliant inverter are fine.
How big is an Aiko panel?
SEAI's guide describes a typical module as 1.8m x 1.0m, approximately 40mm thick, and in the region of 20kg each. The highest-rated panel in the Neostar range is the 3S+60 Dual-Glass, at 515 W to 545 W.
Can I buy Aiko panels and get my own fitter?
Only by giving up two things. SEAI says "You must select an SEAI registered company" to get the grant. And Revenue applies the zero rate only where the panels and their installation are the responsibility of the same business in the same supply: "The standard rate will apply to the supply of the solar panels if there is no installation contract in place with the supply of the goods." That standard rate is 23%.