Renewable energy supports for farmers, in particular, need special attention in Budget 2027, according to the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation (MREF).

The organisation has called for “increased and sustained subsidies and supports” for solar PV and battery storage for farms, homes, and businesses. 

According to MREF chairperson, Ciaran Kells, farmers need support following the “slashing of Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) solar grants, with 90% of applicants being rejected due to budgetary constraints in recent tranches of farmer applications”.

The comments were made as the group published its 2027 Pre-Budget Submission.

Kells said that empowering farms, homes, and businesses to adopt renewable energy technologies represented "by far the best medium- and long-term value for money" for the state when compared to subsidising the importation and sale of fossil fuels. 

He added that government “will have spent over €1 billion in subsidising fossil fuel costs by the end of September this year with no gain for society beyond a very temporary relief for consumers from highly volatile oil and gas prices”. 

"Investing a tenth of this, or €100m per year, in supporting and grant-aiding the installation of solar PV and battery storage systems will encourage homes, farms and businesses to invest five times that in generating up to 500,000,000kwh of renewable power annually, or the equivalent of the energy that would power 100,000 homes for decades to come," Kells said.

He added that this would be "a truly massive return" for the country in comparison to subsidising fossil fuels. 

Emissions 

The MREF chairperson considers €100 million a "tiny investment" in comparison to annual estimated fines of €13 billion "that we face for missing 2050 emissions reduction targets".

He added that micro-generation can play an "important role" in achieving those 2050 reduction targets.   

In its pre-budget submission, MREF called for increases in domestic solar PV grants for installations up to 6kwp, as well as the reintroduction of grant aid for battery storage for homes. 

The group has also called on the retention of SEAI business supports for solar PV and the introduction of grants to encourage battery storage investment by business owners.

MREF’s proposals in its pre-budget submission to address this major issue would cost the exchequer no more than €10 million per year and “would go a long way to addressing the vacuum created with thousands of farms being refused grant aid by the Department of Agriculture”, according to Kells.

MREF has also called on the government to amend rules preventing owners of new homes and businesses who connected to the grid since 2021 from securing an SEAI grant, which Kells believes "discriminates massively" against young families with limited resources.

In its budget submission, MREF also said that grid connections, both domestic and commercial, up to the end of 2025 need to be eligible to apply and receive a grant for a micro-generation installation.