Written question WQ93680
- Asked by
- Samuel KurtzConservative
- To be answered by
- Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 9 days
Question
What Welsh Government financial support is available for farmers looking to install renewable energy on their farm, including solar panels, wind turbines, and other renewable energy projects?
Answer
Answered by Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs
Targeted support for renewable energy projects is available for farmers through our Horticultural Development and Agricultural Diversification schemes in instances where the investment is part of a wider project for developing the horticulture or diversification enterprise.
Farming Connect also offers The Knowledge Transfer Programme which provides an innovative programme to support the farming industry in delivering greater sustainability, improved competitiveness, and improved environmental performance for farming businesses in line with Sustainable Land Management (SLM) objectives. Under this programme, The Advisory Service provides independent bespoke advice across a broad range of specialist technical and business management areas. Up to 90% funding to access business and technical advice is available with a new category ‘Technical Renewable Energy’ being added in April 2024.
In addition, farmers interested in community enterprises to develop renewable energy can get into contact with our Welsh Government Energy Service (WGES) and Ynni Cymru.
Lastly, within the community enterprise space, the Development Bank for Wales also provides the Green Business Loan Scheme which provides access to fully or part-funded consultancy support and discounted fixed interest rates for energy efficiency measures and low carbon heat installations.