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

Through the first two renewable electricity support scheme, RESS, auctions, my Department provided pathways and supports for communities to participate in renewable energy projects through the application of a community projects category. However, in the future, support for communities for the development of renewable projects will now transition to the small-scale renewable electricity support scheme, SRESS. The SRESS will not be auction-based, rather it is anticipated that support for export projects would be through an export tariff.

The export tariff phase of the SRESS, which will support small-scale and community renewable projects, is expected to launch within the coming weeks in the second quarter of this year.

The SRESS will offer a simpler route to market for community renewable projects, aligning more closely to their experience and capacity. In order to reflect up to date trends in input prices and financing costs for renewable energy technologies, an updated analysis of the levelised cost of energy estimates required for small-scale and community-based generation has been undertaken by economic consultants in order to inform the tariff setting process for the SRESS. My Department is currently reviewing this analysis to inform the final scheme design and tariff levels as well as an assessment of consumer impacts.

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