There is growing pressure on Government to enhance the non-domestic solar grant scheme available from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to offer an option for farmers whose TAMS grant applications have been rejected.

Just 10% of solar PV applications under the latest TAMS tranche were accepted, with hundreds of farmers excluded from grant supports as a consequence.

However, farmer representatives and those involved in developing solar infrastructure have called for alternate funding options to be put in place for farms and businesses, with SEAI identified as the obvious vehicle to deliver such schemes.

“The quickest and most logical way to rectify the rejection of so many farmer grant applications for solar PV under TAMS is to increase the SEAI non-domestic solar PV grants for farmers to a minimum of €400/kWp for solar systems up to 75 kWp,” said Pat Smith, managing director of Local Power.

This enhanced SEAI non-domestic grant would go a long way towards filling the vacuum left by the loss of TAMS support for solar PV

“Government should also incentivise battery storage with a grant of €200/kWh for systems up to 75 kWh, and €100/kWh for systems above that threshold, for farms and SME businesses,” he maintained.

“This enhanced SEAI non-domestic grant would go a long way towards filling the vacuum left by the loss of TAMS support for solar PV,” Smith maintained.

Gearóid Whelan of Ohk Energy said the message needed to go out to farmers that supports were still available for solar through the SEAI.

He pointed out that grants of 20-30% available under the SEAI meant that the payback period was three to four years rather than two to three years which were possible with the 60% grants payable under TAMS.

“But what we’re telling farmers is that the door is not closed. The investment still stacks up with the SEAI grants and the application process is a lot simpler than TAMS,” Whelan maintained.

Changes to the grant structure for solar projects suitable for farms was not ruled out by Taoiseach Micheál Martin when the issue was raised in the Dáil recently by Tipperary TD Ryan O’Meara.

I think there is an issue here. It is an issue for everybody

In response to questions from deputy O’Meara, the Taoiseach said that discussions were due to take place between the relevant ministers – Martin Heydon, Darragh O’Brien and Jack Chambers – to see what changes were possible.

“We are onto this,” the Taoiseach told the Dáil.

“I think there is an issue here. It is an issue for everybody. The more renewables we can install, we can reduce costs for users of energy and that is something we have to do at pace,” he added.

ICMSA president Denis Drennan said there was a huge appetite among farmers for solar investment and clear benefits for their businesses and the wider economy to be had from incentivising and facilitating these projects.

“Given that the country is importing 10-20% of its electricity, surely the Government should be encouraging every farm and factory to cover sheds with solar panels and effectively take those businesses off-grid for the peak hours in the evening,” Drennan said.

“It makes sense from a climate perspective, from a grid-investment perspective and from energy generation perspective,” he added.