Results 481-500 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I do not have any more people indicating to ask questions. We have been requested to take a break for five minutes, after which we will come back and I have a couple more questions to put.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I have a couple of final questions on which I wish to get the views and opinions of the witnesses. Earlier, we spoke about the planning system and the interaction it has with the protection of nature. We are doing a planning Bill at the moment. The witnesses will be aware of that. While there was not a lot of mention of biodiversity and nature protection in the planning Bill when the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is important there is consistency, from the highest level of planning right down to the local urban area plans. I was glad Ms Ní Bhriain mentioned there are several other pillars to the nature restoration law. The entire focus seems to have been about farmland, wetland and peatland but there is everything from the marine and the aquatic to our urban environments as well. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is very positive. The increase in the number of rangers and success rate of prosecutions can be disincentives for people to carry out those crimes in the first place. If people know they will not be caught, they will try to get away with something. There is a positive knock-on effect.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: We discussed farm plans. I visited a site in Magheramore, south Wicklow recently. It is an SAC area and the farmer could not have been more complimentary about the work being done with the NPWS in terms of assistance and guidance. I am not from a farming background, but it seems to be a very successful combination of nature and farming. When the NPWS works with farmers on farm plans and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Thank you. I refer to LIFE sites.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I believe Mr. Ó Donnchú said these are five-year plans.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I know from engaging with farmers that, like any other business, they need certainty into the future. They cannot be told not to be produce milk and to then produce loads of milk. They have been led from one side of the road to the other a lot of the time. Are some of the plans short-term in duration?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I agree with Mr. Ó Donnchú. Any effort requires reward. Just because you have restored land and have the corncrake back does not mean you can turn your back on them. Why would you? It is not for the good of your health. This is my last question, Mr. Ó Donnchú will be happy to hear. Many years ago, when I was studying environmental matters, the key issues on nature...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I saved it for you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: National Parks and Wildlife Service Strategic Review: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: On that note, I urge the NPWS to keep up the work it is doing. Anybody who spends a day in nature reaps the reward for a long time. You can spend a day in the city or spend a night out. There is a reward when you spend a day out in countryside or out in nature with your family or children, and it is often free. When you damage it and it is gone, you do not realise it until it is gone. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am not a member of this committee but I was briefly listening in because I am interested in this area. If I repeat questions or if something has been covered already, please accept my apologies. Mr. Smith provided a good synopsis at the end. What I am trying to figure out is that we have this good battery storage system that we know can provide back-up when we get drops in supply or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I am just interested to find out what the process actually looks like from generation to transmission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is a similar process to other batteries but in this case using iron to create that potential and generate electricity. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It is fascinating. The technology has probably been known for a long time but it now has the potential to be used commercially. Given that the technology changes so quickly, is it difficult to get State-led investment? What I mean is that this is a signal to investors that this is the direction in which the country is going. Do people hold back because things may change in two or three...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Did Mr. Smith refer to 2 GW of long duration storage by 2030? How much short duration storage will there be by 2030?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: We touched on the hybrid model. In the case of a generating station currently correcting to the grid, it probably makes a lot of sense to install whatever energy generation we are going to use, whether it is battery, hydrogen or whatever. That probably addresses planning issues because there is no change of use, but rather some modification. In terms of battery, is it prudent technology...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: It depends on what we are trying to use that stored energy for. If there is a catastrophic fault situation, we will pull down that supply very quickly because it will be absorbed while people are trying to get a plant back online. If there is a drop in renewables or solar drops off and we bring in Turlough Hill power station or whatever else, we will still need that storage. There are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: Is pumped storage just a technology of the past? I like it. It is very reliable. It has worked for 50 years up there and is still chucking out power every morning and evening. It is proven technology. It is gravity-fed. You are not going to break that. Is pumped storage an old technology despite having delivered?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Long-Duration Energy Storage: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Steven Matthews: I have one last question if we have time. I know we are talking about large-scale, long-duration storage. I want to look at a much smaller version of it, a short term and almost individual version in the electric vehicle market. As the number of electrical vehicles increases and in businesses, you have these 80 kW, or possibly 100 kW, batteries sitting in the driveway. There is a massive...