Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Internet of Things has been coming for years and was known about. The cost benefit analysis that was finally dragged out of the system in 2013 was known about as far back as 2009. A greater cost benefit needs to be taken into account. We are breaking through the ceiling in the context of our emissions and nowhere near our targets, but we are missing out on an economic opportunity. The big message for those who always engage in the cost accounting analysis on every line is that they should think of the bigger picture. The technological industrial revolution is taking place in the interface between digital and clean energy technology. We have every reason to be the best in the world in this area and sell that expertise to the rest of the world, but that cannot be done if the basic technological elements such as smart meters are not in place in order that other companies can use their products in innovative ways and the Internet of Things can kick off. If the State is not monitoring or measuring or putting a price on products, it will not happen. We will probably not do it until the next decade, which will probably be a decade late in grabbing the opportunity. That is what the Minister needs to overcome. He should tell the regulator and the Department to make this happen.

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