Plans for up to €40m in on-farm solar developments could be shelved by the decision to introduce ranking and selection criteria for TAMS tranches nine and 10, the Micro Renewable Energy Federation (MREF) has claimed.

It has accused Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, of throwing the TAMS solar scheme “under the bus”.

MREF warned that “thousands of farm families” who were planning on installing solar technology would now put this investment on hold following the decision.

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“This is both a serious blow to the micro-generation of renewable power on farms and to indigenous Irish enterprise where over 300 companies had registered with the Department of Agriculture to provide installation services to the sector,” said MREF chair Ciaran Kells.

This view is shared by Gearóid Whelan of Ohk Energy. Whelan said the decision by Minister Heydon meant that just a quarter of those Solar Capital Investment Scheme applications which are in the pipeline for TAMS tranche nine will now be successful.

A further 25% of the remaining 75% could possibly be accepted under tranche 10, he explained.

Minister Heydon’s decision will kill the momentum that has been building in the on-farm solar sector and seriously dent farmer confidence in the scheme, Whelan claimed.

Hesitancy

“There was a lot of hesitancy around solar when the scheme was first launched but it was really getting going over the last nine to 12 months. But all that positivity is gone,” he said.

“We’re now in a situation where we have taken €1,000 deposits off farmers to apply for grants, but this money will have to be refunded,” Whelan explained.

“And we still have planners and consultants that have to be paid. So, going forward, the up-front costs are going to increase, which is likely to hit interest in solar,” he added.

Grants of 60% are available under the Solar Capital Investment Scheme, up to a ceiling of €90,000.

Defending his decision on solar, Minister Heydon pointed out that TAMS had to operate within “a very clearly defined financial profile over the course of the CAP Strategic Plan”.

He claimed that 40% of TAMS funding in recent tranches went on the Solar Capital Investment Scheme and the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS).

“On that basis, I have decided to focus on approvals for core on-farm investments at this time,” the minister said.

The areas to be prioritised are on-farm safety and slurry storage.

However, Kells maintained that Minister Heydon’s comments on limited TAMS funding lacked “credibility”.

“At a minimum, every farmer who has applied in good faith for grant supports under tranche nine and 10 should be approved for their TAMS grant as they have already incurred time and cost in making an application,” Kells said.