Mr. John Melvin:

I believe it was Deputy Alan Farrell who asked whether we could give an overview of systems services in some depth. Once we can reach 99% of instantaneous electricity being delivered by renewables, we can avoid running fossil-fuel generation. Once we can rely on low-carbon inertia services, we can avoid running fossil-fuel generation at night for inertia reasons. Once we can rely on reserves that are low-carbon, we can make the maximum use of the renewables we have and spill as little as we can. However, there comes a point at which flexibility from the demand side becomes absolutely essential. From a technical point of view, much of the focus in the coming years will be on using as much of the renewable energy that is available to us as much of the time as possible. That will deliver a great deal. Flexibility on the demand side is essential. This includes the piece around people at home considering whether they should wait to put on the tumble dryer when it will be windier later that members may see on their televisions and the question of whether small and large businesses can change how they consume electricity so as to consume more when low-carbon electricity is available and less when the electricity mix has higher carbon emissions. We engaged with EirGrid, academics and the Department in the run-up to COP 23. Senator Higgins is right; high levels of growth in demand make it very difficult to meet the sectoral emissions ceilings given that they run from 2020 to 2025 and then from 2025 to 2030. It is difficult to manage. It does not mean we cannot have demand growth but we must have decarbonised growth and we must continue to decarbonise existing demand. Those systems services are the way in which the market can help us to use as much renewable energy as we can as often as we can but there will have to be changes. Demand can grow but it must be met with zero-carbon or low-carbon generation as it does. There is also a very great piece of work to do in getting flexibility in existing demand to help us to reduce the carbon intensity associated with that demand. I hope that is an okay summary.