Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is obvious there are differing views on this issue. Up to now, the view was that the big players were not taking on board the need for microgeneration. I detect from Mr. O'Shea's comments that there is a shift in the ESB in that regard. Its previous position is understandable given that the ESB has been the main player in this area for generations. The new model will be made up of many small parts. There is, and will continue to be, a need for EirGrid and the ESB. There will also be local solutions.

The big players are often criticised. It is important to acknowledge the ESB's role in the pilot project, which is invaluable for us, the company and others interested in this area. I also acknowledge the roll-out of the EV charging points, which are a major success. Although not a matter for the ESB alone, the company delivered that project free of charge to customers. We accept that they cannot be provided free of charge forever but as a first step that is important. The picture is not entirely negative. We are faced with a challenge in rural Ireland where there are a large number of rural households, in respect of which many people are critical of the planning system. In the future, diesel and petrol operated cars will be replaced with EVs, such that we will need many EV charging points. Microgeneration is needed to meet that challenge. How we get around the questions raised by Mr. Stewart in regard to how local solutions will integrate with the grid and so on is beyond me. I worked for the ESB for a number of years but I do not have any great understanding of how everything works. It requires a lot of technical expertise. It is not a matter on which we should grind ourselves into the ground. Politicians do need to provide the policy and legislative framework to allow for the localised solutions, how they are to be integrated with the national grid and how the ESB transitions into its future position.

I thank all of the witnesses for their contributions, which have been very useful. I have learned a great deal from the contributions of the four groups.