New supports, including a premium kilowatt hour (kWh) payment for electricity exported to the grid from July 1 this year and extended planning exclusions, make the installation of roof top solar PV on farms and businesses a wise investment opportunity.

In addition to the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant opportunities, 100% accelerated capital tax allowances and VAT refunds on your solar PV investment are also available.

With technology costs starting to trend upwards, there has never been a better time than now to look at how solar PV can deliver a sustainable, long-term economic and environmental return for your business.

Solar PV technology is ideally suited to Ireland’s moderate climate with generation based on day length and the panel orientation.

Solar PV generates DC electricity from daylight through solar panels. The energy is converted to AC using an inverter for use in the business, home or for export to the grid when the new tariff scheme is introduced in July.

Once the system is sized correctly, the aim is to ensure that most, if not all, of the energy generated is used in the business or home.

To assist in ensuring this happens, surplus generation can be diverted to heat water or can be stored in batteries which act as a buffer between energy generation and usage.

South facing system installs will generate between 900 and 1,000kwh of electricity for every 1kwp (kilowatts peak) of solar PV installed. If the panels are facing east-west, generation will be 10-12% less but the spread of generation during the day will be better for assisting self-consumption.

For more information contact [email protected] or call 01 8250263 or 087 0654103 or 086 2613374 to see what solar PV can do for your business.

Expected returns for solar PV are between three and six years. Grants of up to 40% are available and an export tariff for surplus energy exported to the grid is expected to be between 10 and 15c/kwh.

In addition, the VAT is fully refundable as a renewable investment and the business can avail of 100% accelerated capital allowances in the year of investment which, for a sole trader, can be worth a 54% tax write-off and, for a company – 12.5%.

The amount of electricity generated from solar PV is very predictable depending on your location and the way the roof is facing. With the best quality technology, the generation is guaranteed and independently insured by multinational insurance company AON.

There are no moving parts or plumbing with solar PV as all the components are electrical. Maintenance requirements are low. Monitoring of electricity usage can be provided to your smart device, assuming appropriate connectivity, ensuring you know that your investment is delivering every day of the year.

For more information contact [email protected] or call 01 8250263 or 087 0654103 or 086 2613374 to see what solar PV can do for your business.

According to Local Power Ltd., a solar PV system install is not like any other investment, as depending on the technology chosen, your system will be fully warranted to generate for decades to come.

Local Power offers a German-manufactured panel – Solarwatt – which guarantees a minimum of over 87% of its initial performance after 30 years. Solar PV is also modular in design. Local Power Ltd. generally advises on a staged approach to solar PV on farms to ensure that returns are optimised.

The government has confirmed its intention to introduce a feed-in tariff from July 1, 2021 for microgeneration. The grid access rules are to be eased, especially for installs of up to 50kwp, and new rules for system installs up to 500kwp are to be introduced, however this may not happen this year.

For more information contact [email protected] or call 01 8250263 or 087 0654103 or 086 2613374 to see what solar PV can do for your business.

ESB Networks, who control grid access, are actively progressing a number of significant changes to facilitate grid access and remove unnecessary costs on smaller systems up to 50kwp.

Local Power Ltd. has installed over 1500kwp of rooftop solar PV on a wide diversity of farms in the past year from as little as 4kwp on dry stock farms up to 150kwp on pig / poultry farms.

The company aims is to ensure that farmers are offered the best technology and secure the quickest paybacks possible. Local Power Ltd. also prides itself on offering customers full transparency by highlighting the pros and cons of the various technology options available and a turnkey solution by ensuring that the application process is seamless and hassle free.

For more information contact [email protected] or call 01 8250263 or 087 0654103 or 086 2613374 to see what solar PV can do for your business.

Other changes to assist the deployment of roof top solar PV are also on the way. Significant exclusions to planning requirements, awaiting clearance this month, will mean that for most rooftop PV installations in Ireland going forward, planning will not be required.

Farmers, more than anyone, know the importance that the quality of manufacture can have on the longevity and performance of a machine or tractor purchase.

The choices of technology when purchasing a PV solar system are even more critical to ensuring that you get decades of trouble-free electricity generation from your renewable investment. Local Power Ltd. offers a number of technology options and full transparency on warranties.

Finally, make sure that your investment delivers on your expectations by choosing the right technology on day one.

For more information contact [email protected] or call 01 8250263 or 087 0654103 or 086 2613374 to see what solar PV can do for your business.