Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cuffe, and thank him for his considered contribution. I also thank fellow Senators for ensuring the debate took place, including Senator Quinn who has spoken often about renewable energy and Senator Butler who has been pushing the idea of a debate on the issue for some time. I thank the Leader for arranging it.

As the Minister of State said, we are all in agreement that there is tremendous potential in the renewable energy sector. He referred to the fact that Ireland's ocean territory covers 89 million hectares which could potentially be used for the production of wind and wave power. Our sea area is approximately ten times the size of our land area and has some of the best wind and wave resources in the world.

I thank Spirit of Ireland for providing me with a graph showing wind speeds across the world. There is only one other area in the world with wind speeds comparable to our own, that is, in the south Atlantic, just off the coast of Argentina heading towards the Malvinas Islands. Wind speeds in the rest of the world are much lower. There is, therefore, tremendous potential to harness wind energy.

We have the potential to create many jobs in the sector. Ireland is the Saudi Arabia of the world when it comes to harnessing the energy we could produce. The value of energy, not just internally but for export, is estimated at as much as €50 billion a year. Denmark, a leader in the field of renewable energy generation, has created more than 20,000 jobs in the sector. We have created approximately 2,000. Denmark has, more or less, the same population. We have the potential to create up to 25,000 jobs or approximately 500 jobs in each county. That is not to be sniffed at in the current climate.

We will hear later about how the Spirit of Ireland could help. Many aspects of the proposal merit further consideration. I do not take issue with the proposals concerning energy generation, but, like others, I question how and whether we should store energy. The implications for some of our most scenic and beautiful counties, especially along the west coast, are worrying. It might be a better solution to have interconnectors in place in order that we could export excess energy and import it when the wind stopped blowing.

We must consider community wind farms. I was in Copenhagen last December at the time of the climate change summit and attended workshops on community wind farms. I was inspired by what communities across the world were doing, including some close to home, for example, in Wales. A community wind farm has also been developed in County Clare. I organised a seminar in Ashbourne recently on jobs in the green sector and we were fortunate to have an attendee from County Clare, Mr. Padraig Howard. I know I am not meant to mention names, but he was one of the people instrumental in setting up the community wind farm in County Clare. He told us that he got 30 farmers in the area to pool their resources. We need to look more closely at this option, but I do not know if the Minister is keen on doing so. Issues arise in terms of how easy it is to progress community wind farms. We need to remove some of the red tape that surrounds the planning and undertaking of such projects.

We were leaders in the field of wave power a few short years ago, but it seems we have slipped a little. Wave power offers tremendous potential. We must redouble our efforts to ensure we create jobs in the sector.

It is always rewarding as I travel around my area to see the additional solar panels in place on the roofs of houses. Grants are available to encourage people to use them. I was interested to note the improvements not just in the technology used but also the reduction in cost. The Chinese are investing heavily in the production of solar panels. We can expect to see the cost come down significantly which will ensure that it will remain within most people's budget to invest in solar power panels.

Biomass production is another sector in which we could potentially create many jobs. I spoke recently to a willow tree farmer in County Meath who had chosen to grow willow as a crop having carried out a lot of research on the production of biomass fuel. He is planting like there is no tomorrow not just on his farm but also on his neighbours' farms. Of every euro spent in the biomass industry in Ireland, approximately 80 cent stays within the local community. It is a good way to invest money in job creation initiatives.

Other speakers have referred to the difficulties we have had with interconnectors. In my own county of Meath interconnectors are being built and the relationship between the companies building them and local communities is quite good. They are being very considerate when it comes to local road closures, but issues still arise about pylons. Everyone agrees and understands we need to ensure high power lines are in place in the national good. The big debate is about whether we can minimise the impact on and the disruption caused for local communities. This is something on which all parties agreed. We are all realists. We understand we cannot have too many eggs in the pudding by investing too much money in putting lines underground. If there is no cost-benefit analysis, in the national good we must have them and should try to minimise their impact on local communities, where possible, as they are desperately needed. We must ensure there are sufficient lines in place to allow local people to receive electricity and local businesses to set up or expand.

I have an issue with the procedures and bureaucracy attached to grid connection. Many speakers have referred to the gates process and the length of time it takes to gain access to the national grid. I referred to a community wind farm in County Clare. It took the farmers involved five years to get to planning permission stage at a cost of approximately €1 million. If we are serious about trying to get local communities to plan their own energy needs and invest in renewable energy production, we must look seriously at how we can reduce the bureaucratic burden placed on them. Five years to get planning permission is too long. The gates process needs to be seriously examined.

They were the points I wished to make. I am pleased we are having this debate and I again welcome the Minister of State who is committed to this area. There is limited time for him and his colleagues to have an impact on the renewable energy sector, for which I reiterate my party's support. It is certainly an issue we will be running with when we are in government.