Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As a Member who fully appreciates the need for us all to drive, and drive enthusiastically, the development of the renewable energy sector, I am very conscious that the concentration in recent years has been on the offshore energy sector. It would be beneficial to all of us to have a clearer understanding of the timescales involved in the development of this sector. We have spoken about being able to become net exporters of energy. There are those in the sector who tell me this is a very long way away. While all of this is happening, we are seeing throughout the country an increase in the number of biogas plants being developed. They are very positive when they are happening at farm level but when they begin to take on an industrial-scale size, they pose some practical difficulties in some areas and we do not appear to have a national strategy to deal with them. The question of battery energy storage systems is also problematic, not least because in this country we do not appear to have the technology to deal with fires that might occur in situations where large-scale battery energy storage systems have been developed. When will something be done by way of a strategy in this regard?

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