Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This Bill is a no brainer. I certainly will support it and I thank Deputy Stanley for bringing it forward. It will enable households, small businesses and farmers to receive payments for electricity generation from renewable energy sources. This Private Member's Bill would force energy providers, notably the ESB, to buy electricity produced by microgenerators, including small communities, clubs and schools. It appears there is all-party support for this Bill but we must question the Government's approach to some of these very progressive Bills that have been introduced in that, while it supports them, it has many questions about them. I would like the Minister to say he supports the Bill, that he will bring it through Committee Stage working with Deputy Stanley and that he will do everything in his power to have it brought into law as quickly as possible.

This Bill would oblige suppliers to provide a feed-in tariff to those who supply the electricity grid. Such a tariff is a mechanism where there is a minimum price established for the electricity produced and sold to a supplier. It is usually to incentivise renewable energy production from wind or solar power. Energy providers such as the ESB would have to establish a scheme to allow people sell their excess electricity. There was a scheme in place which was closed in 2014. We are nearly four years behind having in place for use a progressive renewable energy scheme. There also would be an obligation on suppliers to provide at least 5% of their electricity from microgeneration. The scheme would reduce Ireland's reliance on fossil fuels, something which this country quickly need to do to meet EU targets, to avoid hefty fines and to make a positive input into dealing with climate change. Such schemes are the norm in other countries, particularly in northern Europe. Approximately half of renewable energy in Germany comes form microgeneration schemes.

We received many e-mails on this issue, which shows the great interest people have in this issue. I thank everyone who sent an email supporting this Bill.

It was pointed out in one email that 99% of the members of the Citizens' Assembly, in terms of climate change, recommended that the State should enable, through legislation, the selling back to the grid of electricity from microgeneration by citizens through energy from solar panels or wind turbines on people's homes or land at a price which is at least equivalent to the wholesale price. The White Paper on energy states that citizens and communities should play a central role yet, in practice, citizens cannot participate in a system of energy generation at any scale. The point was made in this email that it is not fair that small scale generators must fill their excess power to the grid and get nothing for it. It points out that we need a system that supports renewable energy at all levels, not just for the big guys.It further states that Ireland is at its best at community level. It also states that with a payment for microgeneration, Irish communities could develop their own local power plants from the roof of the local school, community hall or farm shed and become active participants in the energy transformation so desperately needed.

There is a real need for this Government, as the IPCC report states, to put action on their words and make a difference in respect of climate change. The point was made earlier about being afraid to tackle big business. A recent report indicated that only 100 companies are the source of more than 70% of emissions. They include companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BHP Billiton and Gazprom, which are all linked to that 71% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions.

Big companies need to be tackled because they are the source of the problem. People can do something in small ways at ground level not to impact their carbon footprint in our world but these are the companies that generate most of the problems. They have to be challenged, but I do not believe this Government is prepared to do that.

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