The Solar Landscape In Ireland | Reflection and Projection
Now is as good a time as ever to take stock of the Irish Solar market. 2020 was a year of unimaginable uncertainties for so many people here in Ireland and who knew that we would be entering 2021 with some of the same. We now have a vaccine and that brings us back towards normality and again, certainty.
What makes now a good time to take stock? Well, here at Activ8 Solar Energies, we have a big year ahead, we’re getting ready to celebrate 15 years in the solar business as well as opening a state-of-the-art headquarters. When we speak of certainty inside the four walls of Ireland’s solar experts, we really own can be certain of one thing; change!
We started off with flat-plate solar panel collectors before the famous financial crisis of 2008 threw Ireland into recession and we learned a lot with that experience. We know that our original product offering has changed from solar panels to heat hot water only (flat-plate, or “Solar Thermal”) to solar panels that create electricity (Solar PV). The recession came and went (with the infamous IMF) and the country slowly got back on its feet. More recently, we even saw the rise and fall of Donald Trump and you might think, what has that got to do with solar? Well, we wrote about this in 2016 and the possible disaster this might have for climate change efforts around the world, and we were unfortunately proven correct.
What has come before us is history and what will happen in the future is unknown, except for the knowledge that things will change and we here in Activ8 Solar Energies will adapt and evolve. We recently celebrated ISO certification in new areas, championing our commitment to process improvement internally, ultimately helping our customers. The reassurance longevity and experience brings cannot be underestimated. Customers of ours from 2007, 14 years ago, know that we’re the same company that installed their solar panels in 2007 and although we’ve changed and grown over the years (for the better), we’re still the same Activ8 Solar Energies.
Through our own data analysis, we have come to see the solar market here in Ireland become a lot more crowded. For instance, in the summer of 2018, Activ8 was competing with 6 similar businesses on Google Ads, according to the Auction Insights Report. December 2020 shows 20 competitors for the same market. This isn’t a bad thing as this increased level of competition means that supply side solar costs are sustainable and more importantly, that standards are set and maintained by national bodies as a result. Heck, our CEO Ciaran Marron was on the NSAI committee to help formulate these standards given our longstanding position in the Irish Solar Market. It helps that our motto internally has always been “We don’t follow standards, we set them” and to remain as Ireland’s Solar Experts, we must always strive for the highest possible standards.
However, the sudden growth in 2018 may coincide with the introduction of the SEAI Solar PV grant at the very end of July 2018. As mentioned, it’s great for the proliferation of solar and renewable energy throughout Ireland to have so many suppliers in the market going forward and here’s hoping that as an industry, standards across the board are kept to a sustained, high level through the SEAI and other bodies.
We’re delighted to have been offering solar energy and solar panels for 14 years and look forward to delivering our exceptional level of service for many more years to come. Keep an eye on our pages for more information on our improved Customer Resource Centre as well as our growing Activ8 Solar Academy.
Fingers crossed that 2021 delivers what we’re all hoping for, a resumption to what we all call normal.
