Results 1,321-1,340 of 1,995 for speaker:Joe Flaherty

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: That is good. The figure of 6 GW was mentioned and I ask the witnesses to flesh that out because it is slightly at odds with what the Minister has said. What do we need to happen to get to 6 GW?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: That probably comes to the next question. I refer to farms that the ISEA has optioned at the minute and where the farmer has gone through the process of getting planning permission and risen the ire of his or her next-door neighbours and everything. A number of farmers are asking me what the delay is and why the projects are not coming through. I know Mr. Bolger said that there have to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: I am finding that we are getting the planning but the developer says that companies are not following through on the grid application then. Is there a lag there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: I am a bit wiser on that now. I know the sector is fast-moving, that it is getting huge efficiencies, that it is becoming much more productive and that it is probably becoming more financially rewarding. Have we come to a point, given the move towards offshore wind energy, at which solar has taken precedence over wind farms on land?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: What about in terms of current profitability for the operators? I know Mr. Bolger has a vested interested in solar, but would it be much more financially prudent for a body such as Bord na Móna? It went with the wind farm in Mountdillon, which was ultimately unsuccessful. As Mr. Bolger sees it, would solar be more financially rewarding for such bodies, given the efficiencies in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: Hypothetically. Let us say a site of 300 ha.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: I am conscious that others wish to speak. I am nearly finished. Deputy Carthy went into TAMS in some detail. I do not need the witnesses to go into this now, but perhaps they could email the committee bullet points about the changes they would want to see in this regard, particularly in respect of reform. I am sure they have already shared that with the Department. I would be keen to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: I wish to make a final point about direct line, if that is okay. Is there an issue if you go under or over a road with a direct line, or is that an old wives' tale?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: The profile of our country is such that it is a mishmash of roads. Ours is a very small country. Surely there must be some way around that. It is a hindrance for operators that want to tap into their own solar farms.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: Is there any other jurisdiction where a solution to this has been found?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: To finish, will section 37(1) address the road issue as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: I thank the witnesses. I apologise for coming in a little late. I may give them something to work out first, if that is all right. Councillor Browne touched on-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: I apologise, Deputy Browne.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: An example of a 100-cow dairy farm was given. There are approximately 18,000 dairy farms in the country. The witnesses might work out on the back of a fag packet what tonnage of CO2 per annum might be generated if all that was capitalised on. Hopefully, Dr. Shalloo heard the witnesses speaking about solar energy earlier. We asked them about the return on this. They stated that a 50 acre...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: On the education side, has Teagasc plans to scale this up now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: It is probably the most attractive diversification that is out there. That is why we really need to see Teagasc taking a strong lead on it. Using the back of the packet of cigarettes model, how many tonnes of emissions are we looking at if we mobilise every rooftop on a dairy farm?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: That is a considerable return.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: That is 0.1 million tonnes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Joe Flaherty: We are just asking about agriculture.