Solar panel grants in Northern Ireland: what is open to businesses in 2026, and how most projects are funded

What is open, paused and closed in Northern Ireland

Business grant support for solar in Northern Ireland is narrow, so this table gives each scheme with its status on the date checked. A paused or closed scheme should not go into a funding plan.

Householders: NISEP also lists fully funded domestic schemes for owner-occupiers under income limits (£28,000 single, £35,000 couple or family), set out in the Utility Regulator's list of NISEP schemes. This page covers business and other non-domestic sites.

How far the NISEP grant goes when it reopens

The 2026/27 round is closed, so these are the last round's terms and the next round's may differ. At 20% with a £30,000 cap on solar PV, the grant reached its ceiling on a £150,000 system. On a £300,000 system it was still £30,000, which is 10% of the cost, so NISEP matters most to small and mid-size projects. It is paid from a levy on Northern Ireland electricity customers and run by the Energy Saving Trust for the Utility Regulator, and the programme has been extended from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029, with a break clause after 31 March 2028 if a Department for the Economy successor is ready. Funds are allocated within each programme year, and the 2026/27 funds were spent before the year ended, so a grant is not certain even for an eligible measure.

How Northern Ireland businesses fund solar without a grant

The finance routes are the same UK-wide structures, with two Northern Ireland differences: export is paid on a supplier tariff, and there is no public business loan for solar that we could find.

If a grant doesn't fit (every Northern Ireland project in 2026/27)

• Own it with hire purchase or a loan. You keep the array and the capital allowances: the AIA on the first £1m of spend, then the 50% first-year allowance, because CAA 2001 s.104A makes solar special-rate plant.
• Pay per kWh with a PPA. A provider funds and owns the system, so there is no upfront cost. The allowances and the export income sit with the provider, and in Northern Ireland that export is paid on a supplier tariff such as Power NI's 11.88p/kWh, not the SEG.
• Pay cash and claim the allowances. Our capital allowances guide works through the AIA and the 50% first-year allowance with the legislation.

We explain how these routes work. We do not arrange finance or pass your details to lenders or PPA providers. We reply by email.

Export in Northern Ireland: no SEG, supplier tariffs instead

Ofgem's Smart Export Guarantee says installations must be located in Great Britain, so it does not reach Northern Ireland. Each supplier sets its own export rate: Power NI's micro-generation export tariff is 11.88p/kWh from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027 and is reviewed each year; other suppliers' rates differ. Since 1 October 2022 micro-generation export has been settled on actual meter reads rather than a deemed 45%.

Wind and solar output in Northern Ireland was dispatched down (curtailed or constrained) by 22% in 2025, after 29% in 2024. For a business array that is an argument for sizing to daytime demand on site, because power used in the building is not exposed to export limits or curtailment.

Grid connection with NIE Networks

NIE Networks is both the transmission owner and the only distribution network operator in Northern Ireland; SONI operates the transmission system, and the Utility Regulator, not Ofgem, licenses them. GB's connection queue reform does not apply here.

• G98/NI covers micro-generation up to 3.68kW single-phase or 11.04kW three-phase (16A per phase); the installer submits the commissioning form within 30 days.
• G99/NI Fast Track, from 1 May 2026, covers up to 60A per phase installed with export capped at 16A per phase and inverters of up to 32A per phase. It needs approval before installation.
• A full G99/NI application carries a fee; the offer must be accepted within 90 days, planning evidence is due 120 days after the offer, and there is a 24-month longstop.
• NIE Networks upgraded its generation capacity map on 9 March 2026, showing headroom by substation alongside SONI transmission headroom.

Rates, planning and property rules

Rates: generating plant up to 50kW is not rateable under the Rates (Microgeneration) Order (Northern Ireland) 2012. Above 50kW it is rateable, and plant that mainly supplies the building is valued with the host property. The Reval 2026 revaluation was halted on 29 January 2026, with no new date.

Planning: Northern Ireland uses Part 37 of its own permitted development order, not England's Part 14. Class A covers solar on non-domestic buildings: panels may sit no more than 20cm beyond the roof slope, and on a flat roof no more than 2m above the highest part and not within 2m of the edge; road-facing visible slopes in conservation areas and World Heritage Sites are excluded, and listed buildings need listed building consent. Class B allows stand-alone solar up to 2m high, at least 5m from the boundary and up to 30 square metres.

Property: there is no Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard for let buildings in Northern Ireland; the Department for Communities proposes private rented sector legislation by 2027. NIRO closed to new generation on 31 March 2017.

What a roof generates in Northern Ireland (PVGIS, modelled)

PVGIS 5.3 (SARAH3 radiation data, 2005 to 2023, 14% system losses) gives two settings for each place: the optimal tilt, and 10° due south as a proxy for a flat commercial roof. East-west or building-integrated layouts yield less.

Modelled example, not a client project: 100kWp in Belfast generates about 82,800 kWh a year at 10° and 92,200 kWh at the optimal tilt. If 80% is used on site at an assumed import price of 25p/kWh, that power is worth about £16,560 to £18,440 a year. Replace the import price with your own tariff. The example assumes no grant, because NISEP is closed for 2026/27.

Northern Ireland electricity in numbers

• Renewables supplied 50% of Northern Ireland's gross final electricity consumption in the year to June 2026 (4,431 of 8,865 GWh), up from 44%.
• Installed solar PV grew from 6 MW in 2012 to 371 MW in 2024, across 32,342 sites.
• The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 sets a target of at least 80% of electricity consumption from renewables by 2030.

Public bodies and community groups

PSDS covered England only and closed to new applications in November 2024. We have not found a Northern Ireland equivalent of PSDS or of the Salix public-sector loans. The Department for the Economy's May 2026 Energy Strategy Action Plan says it will develop a community energy policy framework including a funding mechanism; no Northern Ireland community energy fund is open. SEAI grants are a Republic of Ireland scheme (seai.ie); this page covers sites in Northern Ireland.

Sources for every figure on this page

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