Minister predicts boost in uptake of solar panel grants
The Minister for Agriculture has assured that Ireland’s agricultural emissions for 2022 are set to be lower than 2021, but admits more needs to be done to meet Climate Action Plan targets.
Under the plan, the agricultural sector has been set a target of reducing its emissions by 25% using 2018 as a base year.
“I’d be hopeful coming out of 2022 we’d see a reduction because we’re seeing fertiliser being reduced, but we need to see more. By its nature it tends to be incremental steps,” said Minister Charlie McConalogue during a visit to Virginia Rugby Club last Wednesday to help Green Belt mark their 40th year in business.
“A lot of steps farmers are taking such as moving towards protected urea, using low emissions slurry spreading techniques multi species sward at farm level trying to improve breeding genetics is incremental gains but it’s something we do need to increase the pace on.”
The Donegal native admitted that we have not witnessed a simple downward trend in emissions.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, our emissions went down and then they went up again. All of it is off a 2018 base year. Last year’s levels was the same as it was in 2018.”
He said to reach the government’s emissions target of 25%, Minister McConalogue is consulting with various stakeholder groups.
“I’m in touch with a couple of committees in place, such as the Dairy Vision group and the Beef and Sheep Food Vison group which I’m expecting a report back over the next week or so. That will inform us on what additional measures we can put together to get to a 25% reduction level.”
Minister McConalogue also confirmed that new grant scheme for the installation of solar panels on farms will begin in January 2023, with a maximum of €90,000 per farm, with a grant aid rate of 60%. The Fianna Fáil man assured the new grant won’t impact farmers' TAMs applications.
“It’s going to be for solar panels and battery storage. That’s a significant step change in the grant aid that’s available for farmers, as it had be available before now but for the wider TAMs allocation. So if a farmer availed of the solar investment they wouldn’t have been able to avail of grant aid for another investment they made.
“Now there’s a ring fenced solar allocation option for farms. It makes total financial sense for farmers to consider this and we’ve introduced planning exemptions for it go on roofs.
“It will make it easier and make financial sense so I expect to see very significant change for the uptake of grant aid for solar panels.”
He also confirmed a feed-in tariff will begin.
He noted the Department of Energy will introduce a feed in tariff for electricity.
“Separate to that there is going to be a feed-in tariff for electricity coming onto the grid which will aid farmers to make decisions to invest and install solar panels on a purely commercial basis.”