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For Written Answer on : 08/02/2023
Question Number(s): 498 Question Reference(s): 6175/23
Department: Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 662 of 24 January 2023, the way in which a farmer can avail of an onsite farmyard inspection by his Department’s staff to ensure that a solar PV installation meets the minimum requirements of his Department’s technical and safety specifications, not least specification S198 -minimum specification for the installation of solar pv panels; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
All Solar PV installers registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are required to install solar PV systems in accordance with the requirements of Specification S198 – ‘Minimum Specification for the Installation of Solar PV Panels’, thus ensuring that systems are correctly installed in a safe manner and fit for purpose.
Investments completed are subject to a 5% rate of inspection by my Department. It is in this context that an onsite farmyard inspection of a solar PV installation takes place.