SSE Airtricity, in partnership with Activ8, is set to pay farms, homes and businesses 34c per kilowatt hour (KWh) for solar electricity produced and exported back to the grid.

The new solar product from the company guarantees a premium payment of 10c/kWh exported, on top of the current 24c export rate, for two years.

This means that producers of electricity can earn a total of 34c/kWh from exporting surplus electricity back to the grid.

Eligibility

New and existing SSE Airtricity customers who have installed their solar panels with Activ8 since 13 April 2023 will be eligible for this premium rate.

This offer comes as the Irish Government abolished the rate of VAT for domestic solar installations from 1 May 2023.

Farmers are eligible for the offer. However, while electricity generated from TAMS-funded solar panels is eligible, only relatively small amounts of electricity will be available for export due to the rules of the scheme.

SSE Airtricity became a 50% stakeholder in Activ8 in 2019 and, to date, the company has completed 16,000 solar installations.