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

No one is forcing anyone to take on any of these measures. With regard to the likes of a solar farm, the landowner would obviously first have to decide to make an application. The success of such applications will be governed by grid connections and proximity to the transmission or distribution system as much as by anything else. The connection cost will probably be the key arbiter as to which projects are economic. With regard to something that Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said at a public meeting of concerned local people in his constituency last night, we will obviously have to look into matters such as visual impacts or other consequences for neighbours. We have to get this right but we can also see that we cannot just keep going at the current pace. It is not only that we have to act fast because we are in a climate crisis. There was an earlier question on energy security. Almost 70% of our energy is imported, which puts us at risk. That is a real fundamental strategic risk for us as a people. The more we can use our own resources, the more secure we will be.

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