Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I accept what the Deputy is saying. It is not always the case that a fee-paying school has infinite resources. However, it is the case that some schools do have the ability to pay for this. It is about looking at the resources we have and ensuring everyone can benefit from the changes which will not just help support our climate objectives but also help reduce costs.

In the time I have left, I will outline what exactly is being funded under the programme to date. Schools will fund up to 6 kW of roof-mounted solar PV - approximately 14 solar panels - and all associated inverters and cabling to connect to the panels of the school's mains distribution board. Monitoring software is also provided to each school to allow review and discussion of the energy generated each day for the staff and students. As I said at the outset, this is an opportunity for the students to learn and understand what exactly is happening. Minimal enabling works required to enable completion of the installation are also funded on a case-by-case basis. Additional items such as access provisions, minor enabling works to existing electrical infrastructure and connection to the grid are also included to allow unused solar energy to feed into the grid from schools when closed, which is really important because we are coming into the summer period. Schools are closed now so it is important they can feed into it.

To the Deputy's specific point, I will work with him and engage with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien.

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