Solar leads in Cork, where the farm case sells itself.
Cork is the largest county in Ireland and the centre of its dairy industry, and dairy has the single best electricity profile for solar in the country — bulk tank cooling, water heating and vacuum pumps all drawing hard during daylight.
A farm that uses what it generates rather than exporting it has a completely different return from a house that is empty all day. That is the strongest solar argument available anywhere in Ireland and it is barely being made.
The dairy argument is arithmetic, not persuasion
Milk cooling runs after each milking and plate coolers and water heating draw through the day. A dairy yard consumes electricity on exactly the schedule a solar array produces it.
That means high self-consumption, which is where the actual money is — a unit used on site is worth far more than a unit exported. The conversation stops being about grants and becomes about the yard's own bill, which is a conversation a farmer will happily have.
There is also a dedicated farm grant route at a considerably better rate than the domestic scheme. Different forms, different timelines and a different search behaviour.
West Cork is distance, not just geography
An hour and a half each way for a survey, and again for the install, and again if anything needs attention. A radius drawn around the city includes a great deal of work that will not pay.
Decide the line, name the towns on the site, and let the far enquiries go to somebody closer.
The city has its own limits
Cork city's older terraced stock has small, often shaded and awkwardly oriented roofs, along with a substantial protected and conservation-area element.
Being straight about which roofs are not suitable is worth more than a survey diary full of jobs that get cancelled after the site visit. It also produces the kind of review that wins the next five.
Two campaigns, not one
Farm and domestic are different customers, different system sizes, different grants and different words typed into Google. They should not share a campaign, a landing page or a lead form.
Almost every Cork installer runs one domestic campaign and leaves the better market alone.
Built around where you actually travel.
- Cork city
- Ballincollig
- Carrigaline
- Midleton
- Mallow
- Fermoy
- Bandon
- Youghal
- Clonakilty
- Skibbereen
- Macroom
- Kinsale
Questions from Cork solar installers
Bulk tank cooling, water heating and vacuum pumps all draw during daylight, so the farm uses what it generates instead of exporting it. Self-consumption is where the real return is.
No. Different system sizes, different grant routes, different search terms and different lead forms. Almost every Cork installer runs domestic only and leaves the better market alone.
As far as a survey, an install and a return visit can be done profitably. Name those towns explicitly and let the rest go to somebody closer.
€1,500 a month with everything included, or €2,500 with the second channel and a new website. Month to month, no setup fee, and ad spend goes directly to the platforms from your own account.