Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 October 2022
76. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports that are available to incentivise farmers to erect solar panels on rooftops and to establish anaerobic digestion schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53175/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for raising this important topic and I acknowledge his ongoing interest in the area.
To help encourage on-farm renewable technology uptake and usage, grant aid is provided through TAMS to assist farmers in maximising their contribution to the production of renewable energy through the installation of Solar PV technology along with battery storage on Irish farms.
TAMS grant aid is currently available for Solar PV Panels and Solar PV Rechargeable Batteries and Solar Panels (Solar Thermal) for water heating under the Pig and Poultry Capital Investment Scheme. Grant aid for solar investments in TAMS is for on-farm consumption use only.
An ‘On Farm Solar PV Survey’ must be completed and submitted with the application to quantify the holdings electricity power requirement and the planned electricity supply from the proposed development.
I was delighted to recently announce under the budget that the electricity consumption of the dwelling house can now be included with immediate effect on the solar survey as part of the holding for sizing the Solar PV installation.
The dwelling house must be occupied by the herd owner or family member and situated on the holding. This is now open for applications and I think it will be a real gamechanger for many who are interested in getting invovled in the industry.
The maximum size of panel eligible for grant aid currently is 62kW for the Pig and Poultry Scheme (PPIS) and 11kW for all other eligible TAMS II schemes. To encourage further increased take up in solar applications and to incentivise farmers to utilise Solar energy, I am proposing to make further changes to the scheme.
This includes increasing the kilowatts for solar applications in TAMS 3 to 30 kilowatts from 11 kilowatts currently. This will bring in more high-energy intensive farms and cover their electricity usage through on-farm generation.
We are also retaining the current limit of 62 kilowatts for the Pigs and Poultry Investment Scheme. Furthermore, it is proposed that the grant rate will increase to a 60% grant and a standalone investment ceiling of €90,000 for solar panels on farms from 2023 onwards.
In a time of rising energy costs, the scheme will enable every farmer to generate their own power for their dwelling and holding and will help to achieve a more sustainable rural economy, assisting farmers in reducing energy costs on their holdings.
Additionally as part of the 13% increase in funding for agriculture as part of Budget 2023, I committed to allocating €3 million for each of the next four years, a total of €12 million, to kick-start a farm-based Anaerobic Digestion sector in Ireland.
My officials are working in partnership with colleagues from the Department of Environment, Climate Action and Communication (DECC) to realise the potential of indigenously produced biomethane in Ireland.
The next decade is going to be the most exciting in the space on on-farm energy generation.
Imagine, by the end of the decade, our kettles and phones might be powered by electricity generated on farms. That is an exciting prospect for our farmers and our overall economy.
The Climate Action Plan 2023 will provide further detail in this regard.
