Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals

5:00 pm

Mr. Joseph Curtin:

I wonder if that is because of the 25% of our energy that comes from wind, only 0.02% is owned by community groups. The Templederry Community Wind Farm is the only one we have. We have done well to get that much wind on the system so quickly, but I am not sure about this model of institutional investors and professional project developers coming into communities and building wind farms in them. There are community benefit schemes in place but they are not related to ownership. If every time one looked at the wind turbine and knew that each time it turns it puts money in one's pocket, I have a feeling that would change people's perspective on this. It is not everybody's perspective, as some people will continue to object, but we must explore those options.

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