Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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1806. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total funding allocated by county under the solar capital investment scheme to date; the number of successful applicants in each county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47021/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. 

The Solar Capital Investment scheme is one of these measures, and provides support to farmers wishing to invest in renewable energy. To encourage on-farm renewable technology uptake and usage, grant aid is provided to assist farmers in maximising their contribution to the production of renewable energy through the installation of Solar PV technology, together with battery storage.

This scheme has proved extremely popular, with 3,736 applications received across the first eight tranches of TAMS 3.  To date, a total of 2,689 applicants have received approval to proceed with their investment, while 1,185 have successfully installed solar panels and submitted a payment claim.

Total grant aid of over €16.5 million has issued to 891 farmers in respect of the Solar Capital Investment Scheme, with payments continuing to issue on a weekly basis.