Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I wish to add my support to the point made earlier by Senator Reilly. We are coming to the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It is important the House recognises this. Commemorating the First World War dead is a matter for which we have to be big enough to accept as an important part of our history and heritage.

I support the calls for the debate on the massive potential in exporting renewable energy as discussed by Spirit of Ireland in its presentation to Members yesterday. We need, however, to be careful about tying ourselves too closely with one particular company or project. The debate on the export of renewable energy should also include State-built interconnectors and overall Government policy.

I agree with Senator O'Toole that we need to think outside the box in a big way. We got behind the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric project in the past which made a huge difference to the country. We need to send a signal to the world that we will think big like that again.

Spirit of Ireland also raised energy storage, a point not referred to earlier, which needs to be examined carefully. It is a key factor specific to wind-generated energy. People do not seem to understand there is planning permission for 15 GW of wind-generated energy.