Up to €10 million in grant aid available for Irish farmers switching to renewable energy

Earlier this month The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., announced a series of new grants available to Irish farms under the TAMS on-farm investment scheme. The new measure will make €10m worth of grants available specifically for the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

Minister Creed commented “a comprehensive review of the investment items available under TAMS has been carried out by my Department. The review factored in the latest available technologies to further drive energy efficiency at farm level and reduce electricity use on farms. This is part of the wider drive to position Irish agriculture as a global leader in sustainability and these investments will further enhance those credentials”.

The new grants will be available for farmers from the next tranche of TAMS opening on 05 April. Eligible investments include:

1. Solar PV Installation on Farms – to extend current availability under the scheme to all sectors. Grant aid in this initial pilot phase of up to €9,300 or up to 60% of the overall cost will be available to fund a 6kWp solar system;
2. LED Lighting –all lighting funded under the scheme will be required to be LED lighting. LED Lighting uses a fraction of the electricity consumed by conventional lighting. The current specifications for TAMS II include lighting in all new farm structures. In future, only LED lighting only will now be grant aided.

The Minister concluded “I have listened to Irish farmers on this issue and their enthusiasm to invest in on-farm renewable technologies. I am pleased to be responding with these new grants. The TAMS scheme is already a significant investor in improving energy efficiency on Irish farms and we keep the scheme under constant review. Any new and emerging technologies will continue to be monitored with a view to their inclusion in future if feasible”.

Through our specialist renewable division, Rexel Energy Solutions (Ireland), Kellihers can supply all elements required for end-to-end Solar PV installations under this scheme, and as one of Ireland's leading providers of LED lighting solutions we have an unparalleled range of products and suppliers for farms looking to make the switch to energy efficient LED lighting under this grant scheme.

Contact your local Kellihers/CT Electric branch for details.