As the winter months approach, farmers may be considering purchasing a generator.

Generators can be vital equipment for farms to have due to weather-related impacts on electricity supply.

Farmers may be considering either a diesel generator or a power-take-off (PTO) generator.

TAMS 3 support

All generators are available for grant aid under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS 3). 

The grant is targeted at the generator rather than the drive mechanism, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said.

Farmers may apply for one under the Dairy Equipment Scheme, Organic Capital Investment Scheme, Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme, and Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme.

While generators are included as an investment item in the Dairy Equipment Scheme, the investment is open to all farmers who declare the minimum eligibility requirement of 5ha under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme in the year of application, or preceding year. 

DAFM said: "There is no requirement to be milking cows to be eligible to apply for grant aid for generators under the scheme".

DAFM confirmed that to August 28, there were 2,012 applications for generators approved under TAMS 3 across the four schemes.

A total of 345 applications had been processed for payment, with payments totalling €612,740 issuing to farmers to the end of August.

Applicants can purchase the generators from any supplier provided the generator meets the minimum specification as set out in section 13 of Specification 106, which is available on the DAFM website.

Generators

DAFM outlined considerations farmers should take when looking at generator installation.

The department spokesperson said: "All back-up generators shall be wired into the electrical system on the holding.

"The connecting of the generator to the electrical system on the farm shall be certified in accordance with section 12 of Specification 106. 

"All farms installing a generator shall be fitted with a mains isolator change-over switch to enable the safe operation of the back-up generator."

DAFM said the generator may be either single-phase or three-phase depending upon the requirements of the holding.

Right size

All generators shall be designed for continuous operation, the department said.

"Each generator shall be fitted with AVR (automatic voltage regulator) control, circuit breaker, mounting frame, and a control box with meters for volts, amps and frequency.

DAFM advised that the back-up generator should be sized to match the loading on the holding.

"It is strongly recommended that expert advice is sought in relation to selecting the correct size generator to ensure that the back-up generator can provide sufficient power during power cuts," the spokesperson added.