ICMSA calls for on-farm battery storage in SEAI scheme
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has called for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) non-domestic solar grant scheme to be enhanced.
Pat O’Brien, ICMSA Farm Business Committee chair, said that the SEAI is "picking up the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) slack" but said these grants should be higher and cover battery storage.
Due to the level of farmer demand ranking and selection has been applied in recent tranches of TAMS, with priority being given to applications for farm safety and nutrient storage schemes.
The Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS) is one of eleven sub schemes within TAMS 3.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon recently confirmed that more than 20% (€33 million) of the TAMS budget is being spent on SCIS.
ICMSA
Pat O’Brien praised the attitude and commitment of SEAI which, he said, "had moved decisively into the area of farmer renewables".
"We were looking at a massive, missed opportunity where TAMS was approving only a tiny number of solar applications due to budgetary constraints, leaving many farmers who were ready-to-commit without any source of funding.
"ICMSA looked at the SEAI options and we have been actively encouraging interested farmers to consider the SEAI non-domestic solar grant.
"SEAI are highly professional and expert, but there is an identifiable deficit in their package that needs to be addressed," he said.
"TAMS offered farmers grant aid for both solar panels and battery storage at a 60% grant rate. The SEAI scheme offers neither battery storage nor a comparable grant rate. That needs to change.
"At the very minimum, the SEAI should provide grant aid for battery storage systems with sufficient capacity to power morning and evening milkings.
"Just giving farmers the ability to generate, store and use their own electricity and reduce their reliance on the grid, would be a huge benefit to the industry," he said.
O'Brien believes farmers have been "sold on the wisdom of solar", but do not have the money to invest due to low dairy and beef prices.
Solar
The ICMSA Farm Business Committee chair noted that farm electricity demand often coincides with periods of peak electricity usage.
"The government can spend millions on upgrading grid infrastructure to cope with increasing peak demand, or it can incentivise on-farm battery storage through the SEAI scheme and improved grant rates so farmers can generate, store and use their own solar electricity.
"On any coherent cost-benefit analysis, it’s a no-brainer and must see SEAI supporting farmers to install battery storage that benefits everyone.
"It helps the environment, reduces pressure on the electricity grid and avoids unnecessary expenditure on expanding peak grid capacity," he said.
O’Brien said this was "a clear-cut case where a relatively small tweak could bring enormous benefits in economic, environmental and sustainability terms".
"This is as obvious a case as we have ever seen where just going a small bit further would bring disproportionate benefits across a range of headings," he said.
