Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Solar Capital Investment Scheme
The Solar Capital Investment Scheme, part of TAMS 3, funds solar energy investments on farms to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. It is grant-aided at an enhanced rate of 60%, with its own ring-fenced investment ceiling of €90,000, separate from other TAMS 3 scheme ceilings.
- Grant range
- €1,200 - €54,000
- Funding level
- 60%
- Support type
- Grant
- Last checked
- 3 Sept 2026
About this scheme
The Solar Capital Investment Scheme encourages farmers to invest in solar energy equipment, reducing their dependence on fossil energy. It is grant-aided at an enhanced rate of 60% of approved, completed and eligible expenditure, with a ring-fenced investment ceiling of €90,000 that is separate from, and does not draw down, the standard TAMS 3 €90,000 ceiling used by most other TAMS 3 schemes (similar in structure to the standalone ceilings for the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme and Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme). As with other TAMS 3 schemes, applications are made online via agfood.ie and are assessed and ranked against published selection criteria each tranche, with approved works needing to be completed and claimed within set timeframes. The page does not restate the standard TAMS 3 baseline eligibility requirements or minimum investment threshold seen on other TAMS 3 scheme pages, so these have been inferred from the wider TAMS 3 structure rather than confirmed directly on this page.
Who can apply
- Applicant must be a farmer purchasing eligible solar investments for use on their holding
- As with other TAMS 3 schemes, applicants are generally expected to meet the standard baseline requirement of a minimum of 5 hectares declared under BISS/BPS (or equivalent) in the year of application or preceding year, or a minimum of 20 production units for intensive enterprises (not explicitly restated on this page, but consistent with the TAMS 3 Terms and Conditions structure)
- As with other TAMS 3 schemes, a minimum eligible investment per application and permission for multiple applications per tranche is likely to apply, though the specific minimum investment threshold (typically €2,000 under other TAMS 3 schemes) is not restated on this page
How to apply
- Register for the Department's online services at agfood.ie if not already registered.
- Submit the application online via agfood.ie, either yourself or through an authorised agent.
- Applications received in a tranche are assessed and ranked against the scheme's published selection/marking criteria.
- On approval, complete the works within the timeframe specified in the approval letter, notifying the Department in advance of key stages where required for certain investments.
- Submit the payment claim online with all required supporting documentation (receipts/invoices, tax clearance, relevant quality certificates, etc.); grant aid is paid at 60% of the lowest of the reference cost, invoiced cost, or proposed cost, up to the relevant ceiling.