Mr. Joseph Caulfield:

What Deputy Coffey does not seem to understand is what wind energy is doing to fossil fuel generation in this country. There is a company called Kilpaddoge Energy, and one of the owners of that company is in this committee room now. Kilpaddoge Energy has applied to Kerry County Council to install 52 diesel generators in a plant in Kilpaddoge, County Kerry. On its website it clearly states that the purpose of this plant is to back up wind energy. We used to have a peat burner in Lumcloon, Ferbane, in west County Offaly. That will become a gas burner and the website of Lumcloon Energy states that the purpose of that gas burner will be to back up wind energy. Wind energy is adding more fossil fuel generation to the grid, not subtracting it, because it is not capable of displacement. Displacement means when one adds 1,000 MW of wind generation one takes 1,000 MW of fossil fuel off. It is not doing that. It is doing the opposite. It is adding, because of intermittency. On a calm day in this country we produce 95% of our electricity from fossil fuels. I will give Deputy Coffey a hint, and I hope he can read between the lines. Every day, France produces 5% of its electricity from fossil fuel generation, while we produce 95% from fossil fuel on a calm day.