The Irish Schools Photovoltaic Programme

The Irish Government launched the Schools Photovoltaic Programme (SPP) in 2023 with invitations to schools included in the pilot phase going out in November. The 1st February, 2024, was the deadline for schools to indicate their participation and Failte Solar is already seeing installer activity underway to get tenders submitted for the programme. So, we thought we would provide some details for our customers around the programme, in order to help you ready your business for the requirements.

Programme Details

Recognising the opportunity that school buildings could help Ireland towards its 2030 sustainability targets, alongside the obvious advantages of bringing down energy costs for school authorities, the Irish government announced the SPP in 2023. It is a significant programme for the Irish Solar industry, with the pilot phase alone open to c.1,600 schools across the eight initial counties included. It is expected this will be rolled out to all remaining counties in coming months, with thousands more projects in the pipeline, based on its success.

The requirements set out within the programme specify that each school can have a 6KW solar system installed, with up to 16 solar panels in an array. Additionally, in a bid to raise awareness for the students and school visitors around the initiative, installations are required to facilitate a publicly visible display (minimum 32-inch screen) showing the power generated by the system, alongside the environmental benefits it brings with it.

Schools accepted into the pilot phase (within Co. Clare, Co. Donegal, Dublin City Council Area, Co. Galway, Co. Kerry, Co. Kilkenny, Co. Leitrim, Co. Limerick, Co. Offaly, Co. Waterford, Co. Wicklow) will be required to submit the three lowest priced quotes received by installers for the installation, uploaded to the programme hub no later than the 15^th March, 2024. Once submitted tenders have been assessed, the successful installers will be informed by the school authority and installation will need to be completed on or before the 30^th May 2024.

Installer Considerations

The SPP is a significant opportunity for installers across Ireland to add to their portfolio of work in 2024. The Government has provided comprehensive guidelines for installers and schools to follow during the process. We highly recommend our installers to review the documentation thoroughly and ensure that they are positioned to take advantage of the opportunity. See the documents listed here on the Irish Government website.

As always, our team is available for pre-sales and technical support for those submitting tenders. Customers should note that a number of our manufacturers are well positioned to help Installers secure strong tender submissions, within their respective product portfolios, under Failte Solar offering.

Failte Solar Advantage

Failte Solar is a designated distributor of Solarfox in Ireland, which provides a dedicated solution to the display requirements outlined in the SPP programme. The Solarfox display is a highly comprehensive solution, with several additional benefits for schools, should installers choose this option.

There are strong offerings from our trusted inverter brands including SAJ, which offers a 6Kw machine ideal for the SPP project, as well as our SOFAR solar inverters. Huawei and Solis installers can also rest assured that we have planned for demand around this project for inverters that meet requirements, with competitive pricing on offer for each.

We also have strong offerings for the solar array, with TW Solar 415kwh and Jinko 435kwh panels being an obvious choice for maximising output, whist keeping costs highly competitive.

The SPP does not cover battery provision, so we anticipate that most installations will be single-phase, string inverter set ups. That said, there are a number of options for installers to take into consideration and, as always, the geographic and structural circumstances of each job will dictate the needs for each school. We are happy to help customers with any advice and welcome any questions around the SPP, should you have any.

Challenges

With an expected influx of demand, based on the timelines set out within the SPP, we would advise that customers ensure that they not only ready themselves for the demands of the tender process, but consult us about their planning around timelines for potential installations and the logistical needs that go alongside this. As ever, we will do all we can to ensure that our customers have the best quality products at the most competitive price, ready for delivery, as needed.

Support

Contact your Failte Solar account manager today or call us at the office over the coming days and weeks, if you need our support. Also look out for further news, updates and advice in our email newsletter and social media channels. If you are new customer, ensure you are signed up to a corporate account with Failte Solar on our website, so that you don’t miss out on the products, services, advice and support from our team.

Impact

The Schools Photovoltaic Programme is a fundamental project for Ireland and our solar industry. It presents, not only, a strong economic and educational opportunity for schools, students, authorities and wider stakeholders in their communities; But a significant opportunity for installers to provide high quality and cost-efficient solar systems that benefit a high proportion of our islands population.

At Failte Solar we welcome the opportunity to play our part in making the programme a success, so that similar initiatives can be rolled out for further public facilities to enjoy the power of solar into the future.

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