Grant aid of between 40%-60% for a range of new renewable energy systems is now available under TAMS III.

Farmers will now be eligible for an increased grant rate of 60% for installing solar PV systems under the Solar Capital Investment Scheme, which is a new category. This scheme is specifically for solar PV and has a separate investment ceiling of €90,000, so it won’t affect the investment ceiling for other items that farmers may want to invest in.

Despite some speculation that batteries may be dropped from the eligible items list, solar PV rechargeable batteries will also be eligible for grant aid. With the increased grant aid rate and the current high electricity prices, the payback period for PV systems will significantly decrease.

Farmers will be required to submit an on-farm solar PV survey along with the TAMS application, which ensures that the size of the solar panels match the farm’s demand. The farm household’s energy use can also be included in this survey. Therefore, only small amounts of surplus electricity will be available for export to the grid, similar to TAMS II.

As well as solar panels, solar-powered electric fencers and water pumps are also eligible for grant aid.

Renewable heat

Under TAMS III, several renewable heat systems, such as heat pumps and biomass boilers, will be eligible for grant aid. Although a support scheme for renewable heat already provides a grant aid rate of 30% for these items, the uptake among farmers has been low, partially due to the challenging application process. The new scheme will also cover biomass processing equipment, including dryers and chippers.

In addition, the scheme will offer grant aid for various energy efficiency measures and technologies designed for farrowing, weaner, fattener, and poultry housing such as energy-efficient lighting, insulated doors, roof insulation, water heat pads, and ventilation systems.