Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. All investments must be linked to Climate, Environment or Animal Welfare.

There are currently no plans to include grant aid for wind powered micro generation on farms in TAMS 3.

My Department examined the possibility of including farm-based wind turbines (to meet farmyard electricity demand) when designing TAMS 3. However, following lengthy research and the fact that turbines require regular maintenance, due to their moving parts, it was decided not to grant aid this type of investment. Instead, my Department has decided to focus on supporting farmers in the installation of solar PV technology to address the provision of farmyard electricity, through the Solar Capital Investment Scheme.

I will ensure that the list of investment items in TAMS 3, including micro generation, will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis. The inclusion of further investment categories will, of course, be dependent on the availability of the required funding.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is not engaging with any engineering companies in relation to the development of on-farm energy storage systems. The development of energy storage systems is not under the remit of my Department. Enterprise Ireland is the body responsible for assisting companies to develop new products.

Support for the purchase of energy storage capacity on farms is currently available through the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) administered by my Department. The Solar Capital Investment scheme (SCIS) is one of the measures in TAMS 3, which provides support to farmers to encourage on-farm renewable technology uptake and usage. Grant aid is provided for the installation of Solar PV technology together with battery storage on Irish farms.

I believe that the suite of TAMS schemes, including the Solar Capital Investment Scheme, is the best mechanism for ensuring that investment funding is targeted most effectively. I will ensure that the list of investment items will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis. The inclusion of further investment categories will, of course, be dependent on the availability of the required funding.