Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue is being urged to ensure that the application process for the new solar energy support scheme is “friendly and as seamless as possible”.
Local Power Ltd., which specialises in the installation of solar PV projects on farms and business premises, has welcomed the new 60% Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (T
The new solar energy support scheme was officially launched on the farm of Donal and Dermot Brady in Co. Longford.
Managing director of Local Power Ltd., Pat Smith said: “Farmers interested in investing and installing solar energy projects on their farms should be given approval in the shortest timeframe possible.
“Grant supports must be available to all categories of interested farmers without delays or restrictions.”
Solar projects
Local Power Ltd., installed a premium glass solarwatt PV system on the Brady farm back in 2019 and, with soaring energy prices, their investment in solar energy has been well repaid since then, according to the company.
Smith continued: “With the right technology, farmers can look forward to 30-year+ warranted performance from their solar panel provider and, with a TAMS grant to support the investment, the payback will be very quick.”
Smith said the key to success is ensuring that farmers optimise the size of the system they are installing for the size for their business.
He said that this will help ensure that they secure a grid connection agreement and, as this process can take some time, Local Power Ltd., said it has a service in place to help farmers through the grid connection application process.
Smith is also encouraging farmers to ensure that their solar PV supplier is a registered member of the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation (MREF) and that they fully comply with ESB network grid connection installation regulations.
He said: “Failure to do so can lead to significant problems for projects down the road.”
Smith said that the budget allocation for the programme would have to be kept under review as he believed the current €90 million allocation could fall well short of that required over the next five years to meet the expected demand.