Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The climate action plan recognises that a range of cross-government policies are needed to transform our electricity system so that it can become more flexible and successfully accommodate an ever-increasing volume of renewable energy sources that are widely distributed across our island.

The dispatch down of renewable energy refers to renewable energy that is available to the grid but must be reduced as it cannot be used by the electricity system. This can be due to broad power system limitations, known as curtailments, local network limitations, known as constraints, or energy supply exceeding consumer demand. Dispatch down is unfortunate and both EirGrid and ESB Networks are addressing the grid limitations that cause it through various measures under their strategic roadmaps. Dispatch down can also be minimised by the adoption of demand-side response measures and greater levels of interconnection and storage.

We also recognise that Ireland’s citizens and communities can play a central role in our new energy future through flexibly managing their energy use in response to the level of renewable energy available.

By doing so, they can not only support the electricity grid but also lower their own energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint. The energy security package recognises this, and it commits the Government to improve the ways that homes and businesses manage their energy use by providing an evidence-based programme of communications and supporting active consumers through smart metering, smart energy services and related technologies.

These services will enable consumers, including those who are in energy poverty, to flexibly adjust their demand in response to market signals and the changing level of renewable energy that is available. Furthermore, a consultation to inform the development of a revised energy poverty action plan was published on gov.iein March 2024. The revised plan sets out a wide range of clear, time-bound actions aimed at tackling energy poverty with appropriate governance and evaluation, and considers the use of smart technologies, such as those used by EnergyCloud and other smart energy technology and service providers, to benefit energy-poor households and other vulnerable citizens.

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