The confirmation of 60% grant aid under TAMS for rooftop solar in 2022 will make installations more viable on farms, but it should not be restricted by the €80,000 limit, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said.

Following confirmation from Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue at the IFA AGM last week, IFA environment chair Paul O’Brien said the grant aid would help lower farm emissions.

"Rooftop solar on farm buildings offers significant potential to mitigate farm emissions, help Ireland reach renewable energy targets and improve the resilience of farm business against rising energy costs," said O'Brien.

He added: "The funding must be additional to the current funding allocated under TAMS and should not be restricted by the €80,000 limit."

Research

According to the IFA, independent research conducted on behalf of its organisation showed that a capital grant of to 60% was required to make rooftop solar viable for farmers, regardless of sector, size or geography.

He said there are significant limitations under TAMS to support adoption of solar on farms.

"This includes the maximum size of PV panels eligible for grant aid at 11kW and the fact that electricity generated must be used on the farm. It is also not permitted to use or export the electricity generated for domestic, commercial or non-farming use," he said.

Carbon reduction targets

O'Brien added that if Ireland is committed to meet the carbon reduction targets for electricity of 62% to 81%, as set out in the Climate Action Plan, a new scheme must be introduced that supports farmers to install rooftop solar PV.

This new scheme should be one which "optimises the renewable energy that can be produced on farm buildings and allows farmers to use excess energy for domestic purposes or to sell to the grid".

He said a key element to increasing clean energy transition at farm level will be to ensure that any new scheme provides a 60% grant combined with a feed-in tariff that delivers a realistic payback period.

He said Ireland’s adoption of renewable technologies at farm level is well below the European average, adding that in 2018, Ireland ranked 23rd out of the EU27 for renewable energy from agriculture, producing just 2.6% compared with the average of 12.1%.