Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline the current position in relation to the provision of solar panels to schools. I acknowledge Deputy Matthews's personal investment in this and his support for this initiative.

It is a priority for the Government to deliver on Ireland's ambitious climate agenda and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes targets around the decarbonisation of Ireland's public buildings. My Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings.

The Department of Education is at the forefront of design with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings, and this performance has been recognised at both national and international levels with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design and specification.

The National Development Plan 2021-2030, which was published in October of 2021, provides capital funding of more than €4.4 billion for investment in school infrastructure during the period 2021 to 2025. There continues to be a strong climate action dimension to this additional modernisation programme.

Schools that are designed and built in accordance with the Department's schools technical guidance documents have been achieving A3 building energy ratings since 2009, with current schools typically achieving up to 20% higher energy performance and 25% better carbon performance than required by the current building regulations, along with 10% of primary energy provided via photovoltaics and infrastructure provision for electric vehicle charging.

All new technologies and approaches are tested to ensure compatibility with school design and operational requirements. Successful and repeatable results are then incorporated into all new school designs and refurbishments. The Department's policy is supported by a strong research programme, with 54 research projects at various stages. This is a joint partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI.

In the interest of sustainability, it is critical that renewable applications are properly suited to the schools' needs to reduce energy costs and carbon and not just applied for the sake of having renewables. It is also critical we minimise the demand for energy before we invest in renewable energy applications. This has been assisted in previous years with the wall and attic insulation programme and the water conservation programme.

My Department and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications established a jointly funded pathfinder programme, which is administered by the SEAI and the planning and building unit in the Department of Education, with delivery support from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board. This pathfinder is a great example of collaboration ensuring the deployment of new design approaches and technologies in the educational environment on an evidence-based approach. This programme continues to assist the Department to explore options and to test various solutions for decarbonised energy efficiency solutions in our broad range of school building types. It is paving the way for and informing a much larger schools national programme for the decarbonisation of schools built prior to 2008, as included in the national development plan, and will play a key part of meeting delivery of the climate action plan. It is facilitating research on a range of typical retrofit options, which will have been tried and tested. It is providing valuable development information for a solution-driven delivery strategy that will be founded on a solid evidence base that has proven the robustness and scalability of renewable solutions within the schools sector.

The pathfinder programme has retrofitted 48 schools across Ireland to date, with work on an additional 16 schools currently at various stages. Each school undergoes a comprehensive assessment to ensure the measures are suitable for that school and will deliver value to both the school and learnings for the national retrofit programme. The works typically involve upgrades to the building fabric, including wall and roof insulation, doors and windows, air tightness improvements, LED lighting and heating upgrades as well as renewable technologies.

Budget 2023 provided for the provision of funding from the climate action fund in respect of the provision of solar panels in schools up to 6 kW output. This is very positive news for our schools and will assist with their energy needs and costs along with supporting the decarbonisation of our school buildings. My departmental officials are working closely with colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications on the arrangements for this scheme, and details will be announced in the shortest timeframe possible.

As part of the preparation for the roll-out of the national programme, a key first step was to establish the level of existing-----

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