Local Power Ltd newsletter updates Agriland readers about renewable profit opportunities for farmers, on solar PV, battery storage, biomethane developments and grid connection issues.
Over the past few years, Local Power Ltd has championed the need for strong supports to help farmers adopt renewable technologies to either reduce their input costs or earn additional income from their business activities.
The 60% TAMS grant for solar photovoltaics (solar PV) installations on farms, coupled with a full VAT refund and 100% tax write off makes solar PV one of the best investments any farmer can make in their business.
Nigel Flynn, a poultry farmer in Co. Monaghan, installed a 50kwp system with Local power Ltd in 2019 and has just been approved to expand the system using the dedicated 60% TAMS grant opportunity.
Speaking about solar PV, Nigel said that “solar PV was one of the best farm investments” he has ever made, as the solar PV system buffered his farm from the worst of the energy price volatility over the past couple of years.
“Who knows when the next crisis will take hold?” he asked.
In 2010, a 50 kWp system was installed by Local Power Ltd.
He said that the quality of product and service provided, and TAMS paperwork support from Local Power Ltd means that he is now expanding the solar PV system and installing battery storage to optimise the use of the energy generated on the farm.
Nigel is also proud to play his part in improving sustainability, and believes it is important that everyone does what they can to address the challenge of climate change.
German company Solarwatt celebrates 30 years in business by extending their performance warranties to 90% after 30 years, alongside 30 years product warranty on their glass Premium Panels.
New land use option for farmers – agri-based biomethane
The government’s long overdue support measures for biomethane are promised this month.
In all likelihood, the support is going to be a capital grant to assist in the building of the plants, which will reduce the kwh price required for the renewable gas.
This support will be coupled with a renewable heat obligation requiring businesses to purchase a percentage of their gas from renewable sources to reduce their heat and transport emissions.
Assuming this happens, farmers will be asked to play a central role in providing the feedstock requirements for these plants, creating new sustainable income earning opportunities.
Thousands of acres of land will be required to grow silage, maize, fodder beet and whole crop cereal to power these plants.
Local Power Ltd is well-advanced in formulating its plans to ensure farmers who grow these crops are well-rewarded and invested into its projects.
Farm slurries, manures, and chicken litter can all be used in a biomethane plant and, assuming the department regulations facilitate the export of slurries from derogation farms and import of digestate at the end of the process.
These plants may provide another cost effective way of dealing with nitrate issues on farms.
The first plant is going to be based in Carnaross, Co. Meath. This four-MW plant secured full planning without a hitch thanks to an expert professional team and proper farmer and community engagement.
Planning is the first hurdle any project has to overcome and many factors need to be carefully assessed in advance, to minimise the risk of failure.
Carnaross Plant is on a 10ac site using world renowned Biogest AD technology.
Assuming the economics for building the plant materials, local farmers will be asked to grow about 40,000t of silage/year.
The plant will also take in a similar quantity of farm slurries, chicken litter and manures.
After taking the gas from the feedstock, there will be circa 70,000t of high-powered pasteurised digestate, which again, farmers will play a central role in recycling.
To give you an idea on the value of the digestate, one tonne of digestate will provide the nutrients for growing one tonne of silage.
Local Power Ltd expect 30-40 of these plants to be built out across the country in the coming years, and aims to work closely with the farming community to optimise the opportunity.
However, government policy is key to ensuring this happens and a solid support structure now needs to be delivered without any further delays.
Beat peak demand response – a new opportunity for battery storage
Recently, ESB Networks launched a ‘BEAT THE PEAK BUSINESS’ scheme, which aims to reward eligible commercial electricity users who reduce their energy use weekdays between the hours of 4:30p.m and 7:00p.m with kWh payments of up to 82c/kwh.
This now means that businesses who have hourly interval metering to allow measurement of current base loads during peak energy use times, and are passed by ESB networks to participate, can secure these attractive kWh payments.
One way for businesses to achieve this, is by reducing energy use in their business, or by using alternative energy sources to displace bought in energy during these peak demand times.
This scheme now presents opportunities for businesses and farms to improve paybacks on solar and battery storage systems.
Solar PV on its own makes the absolute sense and with the 60% TAMS farm grant supports and 20-25% SEAI business supports and 100% ACA tax benefit and VAT refund, paybacks of two to four years can be secured.
Local Power offers best in-class European warranted Fronius inverters and BYD battery storage solutions from the world’s best and largest supplier BYD.
However, traditionally paybacks on battery storage are much longer and up to 10 years without a grant.
With this new opportunity, the paybacks for installing battery storage to participate in Beat The Peak, and also to optimise the use of renewable energy generated from solar, will be halved.
Local Power Ltd believes that the need for grid balancing technologies is going to grow exponentially as the amount of renewables connected to the grid grows and battery storage is going to play a major part in this.
ESB Networks have more work to do to make this opportunity attractive, but first steps taken are encouraging and positive.
For the best battery options, click here or contact Local Power at 01 8250263 – [email protected]
Grid connection – key to selling renewable energy and not guaranteed
Local Power Ltd strongly recommends that anyone interested in installing larger solar PV systems move early to apply for grid connection.
A grid connection agreement allows you to sell surplus electricity generated to a utility company and, in many cases, significantly improves the economics and sustainability of your investment.
Local Power Ltd has extensive experience in putting successful grid connection applications together and does this free of charge.
There are four grid connection options available. The micro-generation scheme is for smaller systems of up to 9 kWp on single phase and 15 kWp on three-phase connections and requires no grid connection agreement, other than an NC6 form submitted to ESB Networks.
The mini-generation scheme facilitates installations of up to 25 kWp of solar PV on single-phase connections (maximum allowable on single-phase connections) and up to 75 kWp on three-phase connections.
This requires a grid application to ESB Networks and, once a fee of €950 including VAT is paid, ESB Networks will assess your site and give an export agreement.
This may be what you ask for but also, depending on the transformer, distance from fuse boards, MIC supply agreement, may be limited.
Already, Local Power Ltd is seeing curtailment in some counties.
