Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would have been happy to give Deputy Bruton more time to expand on that point, if he needed it. I am glad he referred to data centres and the simplistic narratives we hear about them. I heard many of them while following the debate in my office, although they were not made by anybody in the Chamber now.

On the idea that we have failed to develop offshore wind, while I agree we have had a lost decade or 15 years, I wonder what the contributions of some Government and Opposition parties have been on that issue in the past ten or 15 years. I am tempted to look back and I suspect if I did I would not see any of the type of debate we see now that it is increasingly apparent that we can and should develop an offshore wind industry. This should have been talked about for a long time and I suspect it has not been.

Speaking of simplistic narratives, there is a simplistic narrative with respect to the need for liquefied natural gas, LNG, and fossil fuel storage in this country. The energy security review published in September makes clear that it does not support a commercial LNG storage facility and I subscribe to that view. There is an alternative vision, one which was criticised during the week by the Irish Academy of Engineering. As an engineer, I believe the academy's comments do a disservice to the profession. This is the profession that 100 years ago conceived of the idea of the Ardnacrusha power station, which did so much to take this country from a subservient colony to a country that stood on its own two feet and was brave and ambitious. I dare say the Irish Academy of Engineering, had it existed back then, would not have supported the ambition of Ardnacrusha. It stated the energy security review was technically flawed and unrealistic. I wish it had the vision of Thomas McLaughlin more than 100 years ago and the Cumann na nGaedheal Government back then, which had vision and pursued this project vigorously, committing 20% of the State's resources to building it. Ardnacrusha did so much for us.

The vision we have is an alternative to fossil fuels. It is that we electrify as much of our economy as possible through renewable electricity and use hydrogen and derivatives as a means of storing the excess renewable electricity we might generate. We have vast potential off our east, south and west coasts. This is not a technically flawed and unrealistic vision. There is no technical barrier to it. It is a challenge of economics, planning and, most important, vision. The Government is embracing that vision and we can achieve it. It is about using hydrogen for energy generation when renewable power is not being generated. It is about building up battery storage capacity across the system and maximising the potential of demand response. It is about increased interconnection with our neighbours in the UK, France and Belgium. It is also about pumped storage. I was glad to see the Silvermines project listed as vital in the energy security review. This vision is realistic and technically possible. It is not technically flawed. We have to embrace and pursue it. If we do, we will create a better country, economy and planet.

Much has been made of the challenge with solar. We will see a solar revolution in this country, notwithstanding the slow start. Many countries in Europe, in particular the UK, were first off the blocks with solar ten or 12 years ago. We will catch up and we will see a 450% or 500% increase in solar installations in this country. I appeal to the Minister and his colleagues in Cabinet to address the capital acquisitions tax challenge with solar whereby landowners who use more than 50% of their land to develop a solar farm must pay back the 90% relief they received in capital acquisitions tax. This should have been addressed in the recent budget and it should be addressed as soon as possible. I have not heard a rationale for this rule, which does not make sense. For as long as it in place and for as long as there is uncertainty about his, we will see large swathes of land that have potential for solar development locked out and landowners will not get involved.

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