Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It sounds as if the Deputy has already had a sneak preview of the White Paper because the role of the education sector, research institutions and the universities will be critical in the energy transition. We need excellent research in order that we can direct and have a plan in place to decarbonise the economy that will involve the State at its best in giving leadership and the funding of research in new areas such as the smart grid, into new products or ways of organising our renewable energy portfolio. The research institutions will be central to that process in which innovation will be critical to the transition to the decarbonisation of the carbon. The Deputy is right. We have very fine institutions such as Beaufort Research in Ringaskiddy, County Cork which does amazing and critically important work, as well as people in Galway and UCD who are researching integrated energy systems. Publicly funded research will be at the heart of the job we need to do.

See this speech in context