David Norris (Independent)

I will just deal with the sheep and cows then. The methane gas, which can be produced through aerobic digestion technology with a dry fermentation process, has the capacity to provide enough energy every year to more than a million homes in Ireland. A Cork-based company, Kedco, is investigating this. These are the kind of things that need to be done.

The universities are also playing a role in innovation, design and technological exploration. There was a conference in Trinity College about a week ago with a green competition. Five green technology businesses among 70 Irish companies were looking at venture capital. There were representatives from Silicon Valley and leading Irish industries. The founders of Irish wave energy, Wavebob, who have already begun to export their technology to Canada, were present. There were also turbine developments from Queen's University, making gas turbine engines targeted at the renewable energy market, and Phive from Dublin City University who are exploiting the invention of Dr. Bert Ellingboe that uses a plasma technology that considerably reduces the cost of manufacturing solar panels. Incidentally, solar panels are abuzz now. I do not have them in Ireland but I have them in Cyprus. They are remarkable, efficient, clean, noiseless and cheap. There are a series of ideas.

I commend this motion and the Government. Can the Minister of State find out if anything has happened regarding the remarkable ignition system? I can get further information for him.