Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Like others I am happy to hear that the Government will support the Bill. It is a positive development and the first time the Government has backed a Sinn Féin Bill in this session. I hope it demonstrates some political maturity on behalf of the Government and it will be a turning point. Most of us in here are faced every day with problems in people's lives and as legislators we are asked to formulate solutions. Deputy Colreavy has tried to put forward an alternative view that can help people and communities.

There is a dearth of information on this matter.

Other speakers have talked about some of the public meetings that have taken place. People are naturally concerned about what is happening, how it will develop and the impact it will have on them, their families, their livelihoods and their communities. It has to offer some collective benefit to Irish society, which should be for the community, not for a handful of large investors. That has to be a key component of these new technologies, if we are going to roll them out.

Climate change is one of the most important issues we must tackle today. If we do not reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and look to improving our renewable energy potential, it will be a disaster not just for the country but for the planet. As an island on the western edge of Europe, we have huge potential to produce a range of renewable energy, yet in 2012 a total of 87.5% of our energy came from fossil fuels and only 11.4% from renewable sources. These figures highlight the potential for us to roll out these new technologies.

Although the economy has a strong agricultural sector, the proportion of renewable energy produced from biomass and waste is already below the EU average. If other countries are investing in this area, why is Ireland not doing so? We need to roll that out in communities and reassure people about what these new technologies involve. It is estimated that tidal energy has the potential to generate almost 75% of Ireland’s electricity demand. Some people say we are only developing this area, but it needs to be done.

Wind energy is quite unpredictable and the building of wind turbines needs to be strictly regulated. I welcome the fact that the Bill includes the need for meaningful consultation between companies and communities on the building of wind turbines. Wind turbine development should proceed only with the agreement of the host community and it should not be the case that one individual farmer can impinge on the rights of neighbouring farms by allowing developments to proceed without general agreement. Communities should pull together, agree and move forward.

A key part of international relations in the 21st century is energy security, because we are so dependent on energy to run our daily lives. It is important that we are not over-dependent on one energy source or on one country to provide us with our energy needs. Renewable energy offers a fantastic clean alternative to fossil fuels and reduces our dependence on other countries and on unstable regimes. Another factor in our high dependency on fossil fuels is their cost. Many people coming to our advice centres are terrified going to bed at night, worrying about the next bill to come through the door. We know the impact of this on their lives. According to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the average cost of energy bills has increased by over €500 in the past three years. We want to see the roll-out of new technologies, but that must involve the community, and there has to be a benefit for society as a whole.

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