Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I have a question for each of the witnesses who made opening statements. Mr. Kenny is correct that heat is a key issue but we have potential in solar heat to tackle it. I support the work being done by St. Fintan's high school in terms of promoting solar PV because it has the potential to provide one power supply for the heat technology mentioned by Mr. Kenny. Solar has a role on the heat side as well as on the electricity side. Energy efficiency is always the best lowest cost form of decarbonised. We have more than 1 million houses with oil fired central heating systems that we need to switch. We also have many houses that are poorly insulated. In recent years, the EIB has been offering finance to people operating in this space. Why is it that we have not got the financing together?

As impressive as the work is, at this stage 75 houses should be 75,000, with an aim to provide 750,000 in a ten year period, at least it would be if we were ambitious. Is there any sign of finance being made available to package this in a way that would wrap solar, heat pump, electric vehicle and retrofit programmes together? Is there any straw in the wind that a financing package is finally on the horizon?

I agree with Mr. Teahon on the potential for development offshore. If there was separate offshore technology, will he outline how it would be structured? I agree that we should do it. I am conscious that all of the spectacular reductions in costs in recent years have come from the likes of the Danish, Dutch and German bidding systems. We will obviously have to follow them. However, very large international consortia, including Vattenfalls, DONG/Ørsted and so on, have brought forward lower bids. How will smaller Irish operators connect to such developments in a way that will allow us to avail of the cost reductions that have occurred elsewhere? How would the auction be structured?

In respect of our colleagues from SSE, after thinking about what I had said before, I agree with Mr. Teahon in saying we should be aiming for a power renewal figure of 75% by 2030. It is absolutely the level of ambition we should have. EirGrid studies assume the use of a certain amount of biomass in our system which I do not think we will see happen.

In respect of SSE's international expertise, are there certain services the wind energy industry would be able to provide in terms of inertia or frequency voltage stability? Is there any development that would allow us to start clutching these wind turbines in a way that would gives us some of the system services? Have the delegates carried out any research into what the level of renewables could be by 2030 by adjusting the technology, particularly wind energy and other flywheel technologies, to help it to happen? Do the delegates have any expertise in that regard?

Again I agree that there is potential to use offshore wind energy to benefit this island. However, do the delegates agree that the level of power generated will require us to interconnect with our near neighbours, particularly Britain? Does their company have any perspective that it might be able to share with us on the Brexit negotiations and how we will manage the volume of wind energy produced offshore in terms of interconnection and trading with the United Kingdom? Has any assessment been made of the implications for Ireland in developing large-scale offshore wind energy projects in the Irish Sea and off the west coast? We should do so. However, we will have to sell it to make the process work. What reassurance can be provided that it will survive the Brexit talks?