Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I want to confirm that my Department has a very strong record with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings. This performance has been recognised at both national and, indeed, international level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design and specification.

The Department’s approach to the decarbonisation of the school sector is predicated on establishing a credible phased pathway to zero emissions and meeting 2030 public sector targets. This will be achieved through an evidence-based approach, informed by the Department’s energy research programme, which has been in place from 1997 with 54 different research strands.

The Department’s primary goal under the school building programme is to build a modern and sustainable school infrastructure that provides a learning place in a safe and inspiring physical environment for all students, now and into the future.

Under Project Ireland 2040, in excess of €5 billion will be invested in school infrastructure during the period 2021 to 2025. As part of our overall approach to sustainability in the school estate, it is intended that 6 kW solar PV panels will be provided to schools. This is funded from the climate action fund, which is under the remit of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. This is really positive for our schools and will assist with their energy needs and costs, along with supporting the decarbonisation of our school buildings.

The Department has been engaging regularly with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications over the last year to prepare for the roll-out of the programme. This has involved engagement around issues such as the scope of the scheme, the detail of what is included in the PV installation package and compliance with the climate action fund.

The Department of Education has also been working to develop the strategic and operational management approach to ensure the scheme can be rolled out smoothly to primary and post-primary schools. This has included review of implementation strategies, procurement options and costings.

The scheme will fund 6 kW of roof-mounted solar PV, which equates to approximately 16 solar panels. Connection to the grid will be included to allow unused solar energy to feed to the grid when schools are closed. This will enable schools to be compensated for renewable exports to the grid.

Monitoring software will also be provided to each school, to allow review and discussion of the energy generated each day for staff and students. It is intended that the scheme will be implemented using the Department’s geographic information system, GIS, to support efficient roll-out. This will provide a user-friendly online mechanism for schools interacting with the Department on this solar scheme. This will be the first capital delivery programme of its kind to be implemented using GIS as the interface between schools and the Department. As a result, considerable work has been ongoing in my Department in developing the GIS platform and interface.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

It has been agreed in principle between the two Departments that the solar photovoltaic programme will be rolled out to schools in phases.

I am pleased to advise that we remain on track to launch the first phase of the scheme this quarter and we expect all schools to have the opportunity to apply on a phased basis between quarter four 2023 and the end of 2024. Officials from my Department and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications are currently working to finalise all details of the scheme.

I look forward to being in a position to make a more detailed announcement in conjunction with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, in the coming weeks.

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