Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Ireland
Ireland: Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity was 2.33 gigawatts in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Ireland, 2009–2025
Source: IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in gigawatts.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 2.33 gigawatts for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in 2025. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 75.9% on the previous year and up 85,914.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Ireland peaked at 2.33 gigawatts in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0006 gigawatts, in 2009.
That places Ireland 47th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Ireland, year by year
| Year | gigawatts | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 0.0006 gigawatts | — |
| 2010 | 0.0006 gigawatts | +12.3% |
| 2011 | 0.0007 gigawatts | +13.8% |
| 2012 | 0.0009 gigawatts | +19.2% |
| 2013 | 0.0011 gigawatts | +28.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0015 gigawatts | +36.5% |
| 2015 | 0.0027 gigawatts | +81.3% |
| 2016 | 0.0063 gigawatts | +131.4% |
| 2017 | 0.0132 gigawatts | +110.1% |
| 2018 | 0.024 gigawatts | +82.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0447 gigawatts | +86.3% |
| 2020 | 0.0729 gigawatts | +63.0% |
| 2021 | 0.112 gigawatts | +53.6% |
| 2022 | 0.2268 gigawatts | +102.6% |
| 2023 | 0.7838 gigawatts | +245.6% |
| 2024 | 1.32 gigawatts | +68.8% |
| 2025 | 2.33 gigawatts | +75.9% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 2.33 gigawatts is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.17 gigawatts, 2.0× the median. (74 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 2.33 gigawatts is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.33 gigawatts, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.0006 gigawatts | 0.0006 gigawatts | 0.0006 gigawatts | 1 |
| 2010s | 0.0096 gigawatts | 0.0006 gigawatts | 0.0447 gigawatts | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8079 gigawatts | 0.0729 gigawatts | 2.33 gigawatts | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More energy & mining data for Ireland
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 6.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Ireland?
- Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity in Ireland was 2.33 gigawatts in 2025, according to IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.33 gigawatts in 2025.
- What is the lowest solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0006 gigawatts in 2009.
- How does Ireland rank for solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity?
- Ireland ranks 47th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 85,914.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from IRENA (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Solar (photovoltaic) panels cumulative capacity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Solar photovoltaic (on-grid) electricity installed capacity, measured in gigawatts.