Microgeneration in Ireland: 2026 Rates, How to Apply, and How You Get Paid

Microgeneration rates in Ireland currently run from 15.89c/kWh to 25c/kWh on standard tariffs, with Pinergy paying the best standard rate at 25c/kWh (verified 3 June 2026). Every electricity supplier in Ireland must pay you for surplus electricity your solar panels (or wind turbine, hydro, or micro-CHP unit) export to the grid — that payment is the Clean Export Guarantee, and it is regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). On a typical 4 kWp solar system exporting around 1,400 kWh a year, that is worth between €222 and €350 a year depending on which supplier you choose.

This guide covers the full microgeneration picture for your home: what counts as microgeneration, the rates every supplier pays, how registration with ESB Networks works (the NC6 form), the smart meter rules, and the tax treatment of what you earn.

What Is Microgeneration?

Microgeneration is the generation of electricity at your home or small business from renewable sources. Under the CRU's definition it covers four technologies:

• Solar PV panels — by far the most common in Ireland
• Small wind turbines
• Hydro — if you have a suitable watercourse on your property
• Micro renewable combined heat and power (CHP)

To count as a micro-generator with ESB Networks, your system must be rated at no more than 25 amperes (roughly 6 kVA) on a single-phase connection, or 16 amperes (roughly 11 kVA) on a three-phase connection. Nearly every residential solar install in Ireland falls inside these limits. Bigger systems — up to 50 kW — are classed as mini-generation and use a different registration form (the NC7 instead of the NC6).

One detail worth knowing: electricity generated from renewables and stored in a home battery, then exported later, still counts as renewable under the scheme. You don't lose the export payment by routing it through a battery.

Microgeneration Rates Ireland — June 2026

Suppliers set their own export rates — there is no government-mandated minimum — which is why the gap between the best and worst rate is so wide. These are the current rates:

Pinergy, Electric Ireland and Bord Gáis rates confirmed on their live pages on 3 June 2026 (pinergy.ie, electricireland.ie, bordgaisenergy.ie). Remaining rates were verified in May 2026. The SSE Activ8 premium rate requires installation through an Activ8 partner installer. Rates change with notice — always confirm with the supplier before switching.

For the full comparison — including a 10-year income table per supplier and the trade-offs of the SSE Activ8 premium route — see our Clean Export Guarantee rates comparison.

Does Ireland Have a Feed-In Tariff?

Not under that name. What other countries call a feed-in tariff is, in Ireland, the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) — the rates in the table above. The mechanics are slightly different from a classic feed-in tariff: instead of the government setting one fixed payment rate, each supplier sets its own rate and competes for your export. The obligation to pay you is what's guaranteed, not the rate itself.

The CEG has been in place since 2022 as part of the Micro-generation Support Scheme. If you're searching for "feed-in tariff Ireland", the practical answer is: register your system via the NC6 form, then choose the supplier paying the highest CEG rate — currently Pinergy at 25c/kWh on standard terms.

The Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS)

The Micro-generation Support Scheme is the Irish government framework that sits behind all of this. It has two parts that matter to your home:

1. The SEAI Solar Electricity Grant — up to €1,800 towards the cost of installing solar PV. Your home must have been built and occupied before 31 December 2020 and your installer must be SEAI-registered. Full details in our SEAI solar grant guide.
2. The Clean Export Guarantee — the obligation on every supplier to pay you for exported electricity, at the rates shown above.

The scheme is overseen by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (gov.ie), with the CRU regulating the payment arrangements and SEAI administering the grants.

How to Register for Microgeneration Payments — 3 Steps

The process set out by the CRU has three steps, and in a normal solar installation your installer handles the first one for you:

1. The NC6 form goes to ESB Networks. Your registered installer fills in the NC6 form with your system details and submits it — online or by post (ESB Networks no longer accepts emailed applications). There is no charge for the connection. We cover the form, who submits it, and what to do if yours was never submitted in our NC6 form guide.
2. ESB Networks tells your supplier. Once the form is processed, ESB Networks informs your electricity supplier that your home now has a registered micro-generator. If you have a smart meter, there is nothing further for you to do — your supplier already knows.
3. Your supplier pays you. Payment for every metered kWh you export, at your supplier's CEG rate, usually as a credit on your normal bill. Your bill must show the billing period, the number of exported units you're being paid for, and the rate per unit.

The Smart Meter Rule

To be paid on your actual exported units, you need a smart meter — it records your import and export in half-hour intervals, and ESB Networks shares that data with your supplier. The rules, set by the CRU:

• If you're eligible for a smart meter, ESB Networks aims to install one within four months of your NC6 form being processed. You don't need to chase this — they contact you.
• If you refuse a smart meter, you lose eligibility for export payments. This is a CRU rule, not a supplier policy.
• If your home can't take a smart meter (a technical ineligibility, not a refusal), you're paid on a "deemed export" estimate instead.

The deemed export estimate uses a CRU formula: your system's registered capacity × 9.7% (the assumed capacity factor) × 35% (the assumed share of generation that gets exported) × the hours in the payment period. For a typical 4 kWp system that works out at roughly 1,190 kWh a year — almost certainly less than your real export, which is why a smart meter nearly always pays better.

What a Typical Solar Home Actually Earns

A 4 kWp solar system in Ireland generates roughly 3,200 kWh a year. If your household uses about half of that directly, the other half — around 1,400–1,600 kWh — is exported and earns the CEG rate. At current rates:

• At Pinergy's 25c/kWh: 1,400 kWh × 25c = €350/year
• At Electric Ireland's 19.5c/kWh: 1,400 kWh × 19.5c = €273/year
• At the lowest market rate (15.89c): 1,400 kWh × 15.89c = €222/year

Electric Ireland's own published estimate is that customer export payments range between €50 and €300 per year, with a typical 10-panel installation earning about €150 per year — their figure assumes their own 19.5c rate and a smaller export volume than the worked example above.

Remember that export income is the smaller half of solar's value. Every kWh you use directly instead of exporting saves you the full import price (around 28–35c/kWh) rather than earning the export rate (15.89–25c/kWh). Self-consumption first, export second. The full payback maths is in our solar panels cost guide, and if you want to push self-consumption higher, see dynamic tariffs with solar.

Is Microgeneration Income Taxable?

The first €400 per year of microgeneration income is exempt from income tax, USC and PRSI. This tax disregard runs until the end of 2028 under Finance Act 2025 — current guidance is on revenue.ie. At 25c/kWh, €400 covers 1,600 kWh of exports, which is more than most 4 kWp systems export in a year — so the majority of solar homeowners owe no tax on this income and don't need to declare it.

If your exports do exceed €400 in a year (more likely with a 6 kWp+ system or very low daytime usage), only the excess above €400 is taxable, declared as miscellaneous income on your tax return.

Microgeneration vs Mini-Generation: Which Are You?

Almost all residential solar installs in Ireland are micro-generation. If you're considering a larger system for a farm or business, your installer will advise which category applies — the panels are the same, only the registration route differs.

Frequently Asked Questions