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As part of the next tranche of TAMS, €10m worth of grants will be available to all farmers for solar PV installation and LED lighting.
The new measures were announced by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed following a review of TAMS, which was designed to increase its focus on sustainability.
The grants will be available to farmers when the next tranche of TAMS opens on 5 April.
Investments
The TAMS funding available to pig and poultry farmers for solar PV installation will be extended to all sectors.
Grant aid in this initial pilot phase will be up to €9,300 or up to 60% of the overall cost to fund a 6kW solar system.
Energy generated will solely be for agricultural use on the farm
All lighting funded under TAMS will be required to be LED lighting, uses a fraction of the electricity consumed by conventional lighting.
The current specifications for TAMS II include lighting in all new farm structures. In future, only LED lighting only will now be grant aided.
Credentials
Minister Creed commented: “The [TAMS II] review factored in the latest available technologies to further drive energy efficiency at farm level and reduce electricity use on farms.
"This is part of the wider drive to position Irish agriculture as a global leader in sustainability and these investments will further enhance those credentials.”
The Minister said he had listened to Irish farmers on the issue and their enthusiasm to invest in on-farm renewable technology.
He added that any new or emerging technologies would continue to be monitored with a view to their inclusion in future tranches if feasible.
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