Recent headlines have raised concerns that the financial return homeowners receive for exporting surplus solar electricity to the grid could come under pressure. In Ireland, this discussion comes as the number of homes generating their own electricity continues to grow, while export payments remain significantly lower than the price homeowners pay to buy electricity from the grid. Energy experts have warned that, as more solar comes onto the system, the value of surplus electricity could reduce over time. This has led to comparisons with the Netherlands, where a major change to the way homeowners are compensated for solar exports is taking place. So, what is actually changing in the Netherlands, and what, if anything, could it mean for homeowners in Ireland?
What the Netherlands Solar Export Changes Really Mean for Homeowners
Homeowners in the Netherlands are set to see changes to the financial benefits available for exporting surplus solar electricity to the grid. While the changes are significant, the reality is less dramatic than some reports may suggest.
To understand what’s happening, it’s important to look at how export payments have worked in the Netherlands up to now and how that compares with the system already operating in Ireland.
How Export Payments Worked in the Netherlands
For many years, the Netherlands operated one of Europe’s most generous solar support mechanisms through a system known as net metering. Under net metering, homeowners receive the same value for exported electricity as they pay for imported electricity.
For example:
- Import electricity price: €0.40/kWh
- Export electricity price: €0.40/kWh
If a homeowner exported 1,000 kWh of surplus solar energy, they effectively received €400 of value, exactly matching the retail rate they pay when buying electricity from their supplier. This system helped drive rapid residential solar adoption across the country and is one of the key reasons why rooftop solar penetration in the Netherlands is among the highest in Europe.
What’s Changing?
From January 2027, Dutch homeowners will no longer receive one-for-one net metering. However, this does not mean Dutch homeowners will stop being paid for exporting electricity. Instead, the system is moving towards a model where exported electricity is compensated separately from electricity imported from the grid. Until 2030, suppliers must provide a minimum export payment equivalent to at least 50% of the supplier’s underlying electricity supply tariff.
Using the same example:
- Import rate: €0.40/kWh
- Minimum export rate: €0.20/kWh
Homeowners will still receive payment for exported electricity, but not at the same rate they pay when importing from the grid.
So, How Does This Compare With Ireland?
This is where the Dutch example needs some context. Ireland has never operated a true one-for-one net metering system for residential solar. Instead, Irish homeowners with microgeneration can receive payment for electricity they export to the grid through the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG).
The important difference is that the export payment does not have to match the retail price a homeowner pays for electricity. The result is a two-price system: You pay your electricity supplier one rate when you buy electricity from the grid, but you may receive a different, generally lower rate when you export surplus electricity to the grid.
That is already the reality for Irish solar homeowners.
What Has Happened in Practice?
Interestingly, the Irish market has naturally settled at export rates that are often around 50% of the retail import price. The average electricity price to households in H2 2025 was 38c/kWh.*
Example | Average electricity price to households | Export Rate | Export Rate as % of Import |
Lower Export Rate | 38c/kWh | 15-18c/kWh | 39-47% |
Higher Export Rate | 38c/kWh | 19-21c/kWh | 50-55% |
SSE Airtricity (Activ8 premium) Export Rate | 38c/kWh | Year 1 – 32c/kWh Year 2 -27c/kWh | Year 1 – 84%
Year 2 – 71% |
In fact, some suppliers have chosen to compete more aggressively by offering higher export rates. At Activ8, through our partnership with SSE Airtricity, eligible homeowners on our Premium Gen tariff can currently receive export payments of up to 32c/kWh, which can equate to approximately 84% of the imported unit rate depending on the tariff selected.
Is This the Future for Ireland?
The short answer is that export rates will continue to evolve. As more rooftop solar systems are installed across Ireland, and as solar generation increases during daylight hours, export values will increasingly be influenced by wholesale electricity markets, supplier competition and customer demand.
This means export rates may rise or fall over time depending on market conditions. What is unlikely, however, is a return to a full net metering model where exports are always compensated at the same rate as imports. Most European electricity markets are moving towards compensation structures that better reflect the actual value of electricity being exported to the grid.
What Homeowners Should Focus On
While export payments remain an important part of solar economics, the biggest saving from solar has always come from using the electricity you generate yourself.
Every unit of solar energy used directly in the home avoids purchasing electricity from the grid at the full retail rate. For most homeowners, maximizing self-consumption through smart usage habits, hot water diversion, EV charging or battery storage can often deliver more value than export payments alone.
The Bottom Line
The Dutch changes do not mean solar exports are ending. They represent a shift away from one of Europe’s most generous net metering schemes towards a system that more closely resembles the type of export market already operating in Ireland.
In practice, Irish homeowners have been living with this model for several years, receiving payment for exported electricity while still enjoying significant savings from generating their own clean energy.
The lesson isn’t that solar is becoming less valuable. Rather, it reinforces a principle that has always been true: the greatest value comes from generating clean electricity and using as much of it as possible within your own home.
