Competition in solar market

Finally this week we have seen a real rise (+ 10 c/kWH) in the price per unit of energy produced from solar panels that potentially could be availed of by farmers.

The caveats with this deal are it is only open to new suppliers, and it is only a two-year contract price. However, it is the first sign of real competition for energy that farmers could potentially tap into. The new solar tariff guarantees a premium of 10c/kWh exported on top of the 24c/kWh export rate, so in total producers of energy can earn 34c/kWh for surplus energy to the grid.

Farmers still need to be mindful that if they go down the route of getting 60% TAMS funding for their solar investment they are only permitted to use the energy on their farms, and won’t be able to sell significant volumes to the grid.

This rules out many cattle and sheep landowners who don’t have a big energy requirement, but who could contribute to national energy demands if they were allowed export to the grid.

Billy Kelleher, a member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, raised this again this week when he suggested our Department needs to explain why it went for Rural Development Measure 4.1 which prohibits sale of energy to the national grid.

If many low income rural households are to benefit from renewable energy they need to be able to export into the grid.

The latest analysis of results undertaken by ICBF, Teagasc and the AI companies on sexed semen look promising. While not trial work, the analysis of the commercial herd results shows that where the technology is used properly on highly fertile cows, inseminated at the right time, sexed semen is getting closer and closer to the success rate of conventional AI.

The clamour by 41,000 farmers to avail of the liming incentive shows once again the initiative that farmers have to do what is right for environmental and financial efficiency.

Some farmers have suggested to me that the lime subsidy shouldn’t be grant aided, but anything that brings lime front and centre in farmer dialogue and action is hugely positive for me.

Ignoring a nutrient just because the return on investment is well documented and old technology is not a strategy for success.

All the Minister for Agriculture has to do now is increase the budget to meet the demand and to move on it quickly so the momentum from this initiative is not lost.

Last Thursday night, the Irish Farmers Journal was announced as gold medal winner in the Media Brand of the Year category at the Irish Media Awards, seeing off stiff competition from RTÉ and Sky Media and many more brands. The competition entry highlighted the innovation, the unique content, the audience growth, and the investments made by the Irish Farmers Journal. The result underlines the award-winning reputation of the Irish Farmers Journal in print, digital, audio and visual, with key events and innovations central to the agri calendar in Ireland. Thanks to you, our readers and clients, for the continued support which allows us continually invest in delivering so many publications, events, and innovations.

The move to drop development levies and water connection charges for one-off rural houses, for one year, is a huge boost to many young farmers around the country. For many considering building, the Government’s plan to fast-track housing development by dropping these charges will mean a saving of up to and over €10,000 in many instances.