Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Next year might be soon, it is not long under way but the timeframe is the next year or two years.

On the question of the economics of renewable energy, I can assist the Deputy and other committee colleagues when I return next week with some background figures and data. Quite a lot of data are available in respect of the success of onshore wind as a cost-effective form of renewable energy. It is, undoubtedly, the most cost-effective form of renewable energy available to us, as matters stand. Up to 22.7% of our electricity is already generated from renewables, most of which is from onshore wind farms.

We are in a consultation process for a new refit scheme which will look at new technologies and the prospect of subsidising solar, for example, biomass, offshore wind and others energy forms. Some of these are at a fairly early stage of development, while others have made more progress. As I told the House last week, we have all read about the dramatic reduction in price for solar-generated energy. One has to assess whether it would make sense from an economic point of view to subsidise solar power. I must emphasise I am just commenting rather than indicating any energy policy decisions as we have not made any yet. While one wants to encourage renewables, does one need to subsidise them? Will some new forms of renewables happen anyway because the market will occur without the State having to subsidise them? I made the point last week in the House that some other countries in Europe regret having gone into solar power too early, subsidising it heavily, when now it looks like all of these developments could have occurred without such heavy subsidies.