Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This is an important debate on something we need to get right quickly.

I will start with Dr. Ryan. The Joint Committee on Climate Action has just agreed, in a report launched today, that we would set ourselves a renewable electricity target of 70% by 2030. It is not unambitious. We will be testing the edge of the envelope. The target was influenced by the study Baringa compiled on behalf of the IWEA setting out how it might work. If I recall correctly, there is a reference to an additional 5.5 GW of wind energy, largely offshore. It is all-island figure, so we have to be careful. I believe an additional 2.5 GW of solar energy was estimated and 1.88 GW of battery storage. This is what Baringa estimated would work in our network.

The political question concerns solar energy. I agree with Mr. Stewart that there is a range of microgeneration options open to us but solar is the option with the most potential for growth. Has EirGrid done corresponding analysis? Given that the Government has already committed publicly to raising the target to 70%, has Dr. Ryan any analysis, in light of his perspective on maintaining a stable grid, of how a 70% target might be met? If we have a target of 70%, what would be the optimum solar component for 2030? I appreciate that we will be going beyond 2030.