Supermarkets and retail solar projects in Ireland
10 solar installations at Irish supermarkets and shops are listed here with size, installer and source. The largest is Blanchardstown Centre at 815 kW. The planning register holds a further 60 applications.
Which supermarkets and shops have installed solar?
| Site | County | Size | Installer | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lidl Ireland stores (programme)2017 | 20 MW | Greenvolt Next (formerly Enerpower) | Greenvolt Next | |
| Aldi Ireland stores (programme)2025 | 6.3 MW | Greenvolt Next | pv magazine | |
| Tesco Ireland stores (programme)2025 | 5 MW | Greenvolt Next | Greenvolt Next | |
| Blanchardstown Centre2025 | Dublin | 815 kW | UrbanVolt | TechCentral |
| Lidl Maynoothplanned | Kildare | 575 kW | Greenvolt Next | Greenvolt Next |
| Tesco Liffey Valley | Dublin | 500 kW | Greenvolt Next | Greenvolt Next |
| Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords2023 | Dublin | 330 kW | ESB Smart Energy Services | ESB |
| HPC Group | 260 kW | UrbanVolt | UrbanVolt | |
| Ardkeen Quality Food Store, Waterford | Waterford | 188 kW | Greenvolt Next | Greenvolt Next |
| Musgrave NI (9 sites) | Northern Ireland | Not stated; 9 sites | Solmatix | Checkout |
Why does solar suit supermarkets and shops?
Fridges, freezers and lighting give a store a high, steady daytime load. Chains fit the same design across many stores.
- Lidl Ireland stores (programme): Programme across over 100 stores with standard 188 kWp or 210 kWp systems; about 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.
- Aldi Ireland stores (programme): Programme of 44 stores with 288 panels each, 22 stores in 2025 and 22 in 2026; press release seen as snippet only.
- Tesco Ireland stores (programme): Covers 12 larger-format stores with 4,560 panels in the latest phase; Tesco had about 7 MW across 24 solar locations by end 2025.
- Blanchardstown Centre: Fully operational early October 2025 and runs entirely on solar in peak summer; billed as the largest retail solar project of its kind in Ireland.
- Lidl Maynooth: Upcoming store billed as the first carbon-neutral Lidl in Ireland: rooftop PV, three solar carports and a 200 kWh battery.
What costs and savings have been published?
These are the figures the business or its installer gave. They have not been audited.
- Aldi Ireland stores (programme)6.3 MW
- Cost
- €5 million
- Share of use
- about 30% per store
- Output
- 95,500 to about 100,000 kWh per store a year
Source: pv magazine
- Tesco Ireland stores (programme)5 MW
- Share of use
- up to about 20% per store
Source: Greenvolt Next
- Blanchardstown Centre815 kW
- Share of use
- over 40%
- Output
- 689,593 kWh a year
Source: TechCentral
- HPC Group260 kW
- Share of use
- 32%
Source: UrbanVolt
- Musgrave NI (9 sites)
- Cost
- £3 million
Source: Checkout
What is in the planning register?
The register has 60 applications for solar at this kind of premises, and 59 were granted. The named sites are below, largest first. "Granted" is permission to build. A scheme is shown as built only where a published report says so.
| Site | County | Size applied for | Status | Planning record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collins SuperValu, Carrigaline | Cork | 236 kW | Built | 2022, ref 22/4892 |
| SuperValu, Loughrea Shopping Centre | Galway | 192 kW | Granted | 2019, ref 19333 |
| Pettitt's SuperValu, Arklow | Wicklow | 159 kW | Granted | 2022, ref 22747 |
| Hurleys' SuperValu | Cork | 153 kW | Granted | 2020, ref 20/5036 |
| O'Briens Centra, Mullingar | Westmeath | 103 kW | Granted | 2021, ref 21348 |
| Clane Shopping Centre | Kildare | 98 kW | Granted | 2021, ref 21499 |
| McConvilles SuperValu, Millstream Shopping Centre | Kildare | 63 kW | Granted | 2021, ref 21535 |
| O'Brien's Service Station | Cork | 573 m² | Granted | 2019, ref 1938584 |
| Ryan's SuperValu, Grange Road | Cork | 819 m² | Granted | 2021, ref 2140272 |
| Ballyvolane Shopping Centre | Cork | 1,847 m² | Granted | 2022, ref 2241026 |
Show 15 more applications
| Site | County | Size applied for | Status | Planning record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O'Leary's SuperValu, Tower Shopping Centre | Cork | 735 m² | Built | 2022, ref 2241130 |
| Ryan's SuperValu, Crestfield Centre | Cork | 319 m² | Built | 2022, ref 2241313 |
| M.D. O'Shea & Sons | Cork | 260 m² | Granted | 2022, ref 2241442 |
| ALDI Bishopstown Road | Cork | 625 m² | Built | 2025, ref 2543809 |
| Lidl | Cork | 1,009 m² | Granted | 2018, ref 18/599 |
| Dano's SuperValu | Cork | 455 m² | Granted | 2019, ref 19/5454 |
| Boherbue Co-Op Stores and SuperValu | Cork | 1,172 m² | Granted | 2021, ref 21/4331 |
| Amber Service Station | Cork | 277 m² | Granted | 2022, ref 22/4143 |
| O'Mahony's Centra | Cork | 364 m² | Granted | 2022, ref 22/4911 |
| ILAC Shopping Centre | Dublin | 958 m² | Granted | 2021, ref 2646/21 |
| Dunnes Stores, Northside Shopping Centre | Dublin | 1,136 m² | Granted | 2022, ref 4516/22 |
| SuperValu Walkinstown | Dublin | 1,020 m² | Granted | 2023, ref 4212/23 |
| Dundrum Town Centre | Dublin | 140 panels | Granted | 2021, ref D21A/0428 |
| Pavilions Shopping Centre | Dublin | 2,700 panels | Built | 2022, ref F21A/0387 |
| SuperValu Sutton | Dublin | 1,294 m² | Granted | 2022, ref F22A/0176 |
Where to go next
- All commercial solar projects, across every sector
- Commercial solar panel cost by system size
- Commercial solar grants for supermarkets and retail sites