Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is good to hear a scheme will be in place by 2020. There are good examples of microgeneration schemes in other countries. I know the Department will be ultra-cautious on these issues but there are good examples of schemes that are already operating. I ask that lessons be learned from those examples. The average person wants to know when he or she will be able to self-generate and export excess energy to the grid. My Bill has been on the books for two years but I hope we are now making progress with it. The Minister of State has not answered my question as to whether the Government will block it using the money message device. I hope it will not do so. The Bill has broad support in the House so I ask that it would not be delayed.

We need to move this discussion on. It was difficult to get a discussion going on these types of issues in the 31st Dáil but the discussion on energy and climate action has intensified in recent years, particularly in the past six months. Will we have big thinking from Government on this area? The Minister of State indicated a microgeneration scheme will be introduced in 2020. Can we expect large-scale microgeneration to commence in 2020? Big thinking is needed.

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