Dáil debates

Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed)

 

9:40 pm

Photo of Marian HarkinMarian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to ask the Minister of State two questions. The first relates to solar energy. Under the process, first, one has to get planning permission and then has to get a grid connection. That can be cost effective or cost prohibitive depending on the upgrade of lines and other issues. However, before any of that one has to pay €7,500 to the ESB just to make the application and then one has to apply to the renewable electricity support scheme by way of a competitive auction. This system is designed so that only large solar development companies have the resources to do it. Farmers, businesses, householders and communities must get a slice of the solar market.

Have we learned nothing? We made this mistake with wind energy and we have reaped the whirlwind.

The Minister is looking at microgeneration of less than 1 MW. I know many farmers who want to get involved in this. I ask the Minister to do three things, namely, to make the scheme simple, usable and cost-effective. That is the first point.

The second point I want to raise is on the report of the European Court of Auditors on the better energy warmer homes scheme. The report states that, in practice, projects did not define any energy saving objective or report on energy saved and, for more than half of the supported households, the scheme did not improve energy ratings. We have a national retrofit plan, on which I have two short questions. First, what is now in the plan to show we have learned from the mistakes we made with the scheme and we will not make similar mistakes again? Second, according to the report of the European Court of Auditors, only 27% of the funding allocated to the better energy warmer homes scheme had been spent by the end of 2018. We are halfway through 2020 and almost at the end of the scheme. Does the Minister of State know how much or what percentage of the funding has been spent to date?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.