Improving engagement with Ireland’s solar schools scheme by reducing administrative frictions

Citation

Lentz P, Augustenborg C, Lades L & Martin L (2025) Improving engagement with Ireland’s solar schools scheme by reducing administrative frictions. EPA Ireland. https://publicpolicy.ie/environment/improving-engagement-with-irelands-solar-schools-scheme-by-reducing-administrative-frictions/

Abstract
Summary: In their 2024 Climate Action Plan, the Government of Ireland established a national target to install 8 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels nationally by 2030i. As part of this target, the Solar for Schools programme was launched by the Department of Education in November 2023. This programme provides all eligible schools in Ireland with the opportunity to apply for funding to install rooftop solar PV panels to reduce electricity costs through renewable energy. However, barriers to participation can arise through frictions present in the application process, which can make a school’s experience burdensome. For example, the take-up of the predecessor to the 2023 Solar for Schools programme was very low, likely due to burdensome administrative procedures. The purpose of this policy brief is to measure the type and size of these frictions in Ireland’s Solar for Schools programme and provide recommendations to reduce those frictions. An audit of Ireland’s Solar for Schools programme led to the development of a journey map, illustrating the typical steps a school takes to apply for funding for panel installation. A qualitative analysis of stakeholder interviews informed this evaluation and quantification of the administrative frictions present in each step of the journey. While the administrative burdens experienced in the process are not excessive, for school principals, the most significant barriers to programme participation emerged in the contractor quote selection process and the inability to add on to the 6kW of government-funded solar panels. To address these barriers, this brief recommends a restructuring of the tender process, changes to the payment procedure, and removal of restrictions on solar panel expansion.