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For Written Answer on : 28/05/2024
Question Number(s): 363 Question Reference(s): 23849/24
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. 305 of 7 March 2024, if he will provide the information sought, namely the number of TAMS 2 solar PV installations that were processed by his Department on forms that were not his Department’s official S198 forms; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
My Department has introduced Specification 198 which outlines the minimum specification for the Installation of Solar PV Systems. All relevant electrical and structural standards are prescribed in this specification.
Under TAMS II, a total of 129 of the 246 paid applications for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels were submitted on forms other than my Department’s official S198 form.
The technical forms which were submitted are produced by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), and are essentially the same as my Department’s prescribed form, except for references to SEAI instead of TAMS. All forms submitted are assessed by my Department’s technical staff. The SEAI has been very helpful to my Department in the provision of Solar PV to the farming community and its knowledge in this area has been invaluable.
Both forms contain the same detail to allow my Department to make an informed decision on the application. Furthermore, the specific form must be signed by a Safe Electric Ireland registered electrician.
