Mr. Tom Halpin:

I am happy to pick up, first, on the issue of community energy, much of which Mr. Manley has addressed. Through our community energy network of 200 member communities we are funding energy master plans which are looking at the options available.

Renewable energy is not an option for all. It is about efficiency in the use of renewables and looking at the make-up of communities and what their particular energy needs are. Through our smart grid programme we are funding research into the development of micro-grids. It is looking at the legal, technical and economic complexities and all aspects of what it is to have many micro-generators in one area feeding in to the grid to meet needs in the area. That option is being considered. That supplements what Mr. Manley stated.

On electric vehicles, Senator Ian Marshall's observations are absolutely correct. In some respects, they are not for everyone. Certainly, they are more suited to the needs of an urban than a rural driver. That is mostly related to the limitations on the range of the batteries. Having said that - I am picking up on Senator Grace O'Sullivan's analogy with the mobile phone - electric vehicles bring with them a change of culture. Charging will take place mainly at night in a driveway. Rural dwellers have a advantage over many urban dwellers who live in terraced houses, etc. SEAI is providing a grant, not only for new EV purchases but also for home charging points, both for new and second-hand purchases. This means that motorists will be able to charge their cars at home at night while the car is idle. The range of most new vehicles is heading towards 200 km or 250 km, although it might profess otherwise on the data sheet. While electric vehicles are not compatible with everyone's life at present, they are increasingly becoming compatible. In the note we provided for the committee we acknowledge that as the demand for electric vehicles grows - there has been a doubling of sales so far this year - infrastructure will have to be provided to meet it. Much like the telephone networks, it will be an iterative process, but we see advances all the time.