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Connecting solar PV to your home is not a job you do yourself. In Ireland, a grid connected system has to be fitted by a registered electrician and registered with ESB Networks. So the real question is not how to wire it yourself. It is how the connection works, and what the process looks like.
Here is how a solar system links to your home and to the grid, in plain terms. We follow the full path, from the panels to the smart meter, and show how you get paid for the power you send back.
How a Solar PV System Connects to Your Home
Solar panels make DC electricity, a type of current your home cannot use directly. So the power first goes to an inverter, which turns it into AC electricity, the kind your sockets and the grid use.
From there, the power flows into your consumer unit, which is your fuse board. It then runs out to your lights, sockets and appliances, just like grid power does.
Your home always uses solar power first. If your panels make more than you need, the extra flows out to the grid. If they make less, the grid tops you up. This switch happens on its own, so you never notice it.
If you have a battery, it fits into this chain too. It stores spare power for later instead of sending it all to the grid. Where it connects depends on the type of inverter you have.
Getting Connected to the Grid
Every system has to be registered with ESB Networks before it can export power. For a normal home system, your installer does this with a form called the NC6. There is no charge for it on a standard connection.
This simple route is called inform and fit, and it covers most homes. It applies to systems up to about 6 kVA of output on a single-phase home, or about 11 kVA on a three-phase home. Your inverter sets this limit, not the number of panels. Bigger systems need a full application to ESB Networks instead.
Your inverter matters here, so it is worth sizing it right. Our guide to what size solar inverter you need walks through it.
This step usually takes a few weeks. Your installer looks after the paperwork as part of the job.
Your Smart Meter and Getting Paid for Export
Once your system is registered, ESB Networks fits a smart meter, free of charge, if you do not already have one. Smart meters measure the power you use and the power you export separately. That is what lets your supplier pay you for the surplus.
Payment comes through a scheme called the Clean Export Guarantee. Every electricity supplier in Ireland has to pay you for the power you export. You sign up with your own supplier once the system is live.
Rates are set by each supplier, and they currently range from about 15 to 32 cent a unit. So it pays to compare. Your first €400 of export income each year is currently tax free.
For more on the power you do not use, see our guide to what happens to excess solar electricity in Ireland.
Why a Registered Electrician Must Do the Connection
Connecting solar to your home is skilled electrical work. In Ireland, it must be done by a Safe Electric registered electrician. They wire the system to the national safety rules, known as I.S. 10101, and give you a completion certificate when the job is signed off.
This is about more than safety. You need a registered install and that certificate to claim the SEAI grant. Work done without them is not compliant, and it can affect your home insurance. This is why a plug in or do it yourself setup is not allowed here.
Doing it by the book also keeps you eligible for support. Our guide to solar grants in Ireland shows what you can claim.