The value of applications submitted for solar PV systems under the TAMS Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS) has reached €84.83m so far.

According to the latest figures provided to the Irish Farmers Journal, the Department of Agriculture has received a total of 2,460 applications from farmers for solar systems in tranches one to four, as shown in Table 1. Tranche five recently closed, and tranche six is now open.

Under the SCIS, farmers can avail themselves of up to 60% in grant aid for solar PV systems, as well as batteries. The Department also provided a breakdown of the number of applications for panels and batteries. However, the majority of applications for panels also included batteries.

Value and size

The value of applications for solar PV panel installations stands at €71.1m, with an average system size of 20.7kW per application. The value of applications for batteries is €13.6m, with an average battery capacity of 9.24kWh per application. In total, the value of all applications submitted is €84.83m.

Based on the number of applications received, this equates to an average grant aid of €20,691.03 per application, or €51m in total. In 2022, Minister McConalogue increased the TAMS budget by €90m to fund the new grant aid rates for solar systems.

Based on the grant aid applied for so far, nearly 57% of the €90m funding has been applied for. To date, 1,558 applications have received approval to proceed with their investment.

Cork remains on top

Farmers from every county in the Republic of Ireland have submitted applications for solar panels. Cork has had the highest number of applications, with 336 received so far. Of these, 275 also included batteries.

This was followed by Tipperary with 214 applications and Wexford with 143 applications. Sligo, Dublin, and Leitrim have seen the lowest number of applications, respectively.

It is important to note that an applicant can apply for more than one set of panels on an application, with different locations on the holding counted as one application with two main investments.

Tranche six

The fifth tranche of the scheme is now closed, and tranche six is open for applications. As more farmers apply for the grant, securing approval in this tranche could prove to be the most challenging so far, with factors such as the age of the farmer, the cost of the systems, and the stocking rate of the farm likely to affect the approval process

As solar panels are a fixed investment, applicants will need to submit copies of their drawings, a farm structure layout plan, a farmyard layout plan, and a site location map indicating the locations for the proposed investment.

An on-farm Solar PV survey must also be submitted. In most cases, farmers ask solar PV suppliers to conduct the survey and produce the required drawings.

The survey includes details such as the MPRN of the electricity meter, the previous 12 months of electricity bills, proposed PV panel and battery size and output, and system mounting specifications.

If the farmhouse is on the same ESB meter as the farm, it can also be included in the calculation.

Applications can be submitted through the Department’s Agfood.ie website under the TAMS III SCIS tab.