The Minister of Agriculture, Martin Heydon TD, has been accused of doing a complete hatchet job on solar PV TAMS grants in announcing that only 10% of Tranche 10 applications will be approved.

The Micro Renewable Energy Federation slammed the announcement and said that this means that up to 1,500 farmers who have applied for grant support under TAMS in recent tranches to install solar PV panels to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions are going to have their applications rejected in Tranche 10, which closed for applications on 5 December last.

Commenting, MREF chairman, Ciaran Kells, said: “Minister Heydon has effectively torpedoed the Solar Capital Investment Scheme under TAMS. The interest among farmers for renewable power to both reduce their own energy costs and cut emissions has been phenomenal. TAMS supports have been critical to this enthusiasm.”

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Energy consumption

Mr Kells has called on the Minister to explain to farmers what he means when he says he is limiting future grant aid for solar panels to only support on-farm energy consumption. Mr Kells said that this has been the position for all solar PV grant applications since the start of TAMS 3.

Mr Kells said: “What the Minister is planning to do in the latest tranche 10 is effectively reject almost 90% of solar grant applications, which will deny up to 1,500 farmers the grant supports they need, with up to €500,000 wasted putting professional applications together to meet grant requirements.

Energy markets

Mr Kells said the decision makes no sense on multiple fronts.

“Firstly, farmers are now being denied the opportunity to secure TAMS support to reduce carbon emissions on their farms, yet they are continuously being criticised by many commentators for not doing enough on climate action”.

“Secondly, the turmoil in energy markets resulting from the Iran conflict again throws into sharp focus Ireland’s weak energy security and total reliance on imports of gas and oil” he said.

“We should be building up our energy resilience with micro renewables rather than limiting the significant renewable energy capacity we have on farm buildings” he continued.

No-man’s land

Mr Kells said that this latest decision on TAMS solar PV grants leaves farmers and the solar PV sector in a ‘no-man’s land’.

He said: “It is time for the Government to either find the money to support the solar PV grant scheme for all TAMS applicants or to come clean and tell the farming community that they are no longer going support farmers in TAMS to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs with renewable power that farmers can produce themselves.”

“At least then, farm families will not be wasting their time and money submitting detailed grant applications that have, based on the Ministers decision a 90% chance of rejection.”