Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this Bill. I congratulate our Green Party colleagues on demonstrating a sense of leadership and urgency in bringing forward what is the latest in a series of Bills and motions that very much reflect our Programme for Government: Our Shared Future and all that we should be - and are - doing with that sense of urgency.

The biggest surprise is the fact that this legislation is needed at all. When I first spoke about it with Senator O'Reilly, I was surprised at what I learned. Schools should automatically have solar panels or that sense of a drive towards renewable energy.In that, I would wave two flags. One would be that in any design of any school forever, we need provisions for ASD classes and solar or renewable energy. I very much concur with what has been said, that this should be mandatory and that you would need a very good reason to opt-out. I understand the concerns of aviation but that does not stack up when Dublin Airport has solar energy. I understand from a briefing from Friends of the Earth that Dublin Airport already has had a major solar panel installation in place since 2019. If that is the case, that the busiest airport in the country can do that, some of the concerns delaying the implementation of the regulations of the Bill are a little curious. Surely to goodness we can manage whatever is delaying here and overcome the impediments as quickly as possible.

We are in a queue waiting to have solar panels put on the roof of our house at home. I am very excited about what this winter will hold and, we hope, see our energy bill go down. From a school perspective, it makes sense to show the leadership and embrace the excitement and urgency of this generation. The Minister of State very eloquently addressed that so I will not repeat what he said. It respects the drive from the generation that is coming up and challenging us to make sure we are innovative with regard to renewable energy and responsible with regard to the climate and our Earth. We need to do this with real urgency in this case but also with other buildings, such as community centres. There are so many possibilities throughout the country where this is an opportunity for better use of income, including grant aid, as well as an ability possibly to generate an income. What is not to love about this Bill and a momentum towards solar energy? Anywhere it can go, let it go. Senator Cummins mentioned the Waterford company that has built this into roof slates. We can do it in a very accessible and non-intrusive way. I understand communities' concerns around wind, naturally, but for solar there really is no longer an excuse. On my own road I see the transition from the old ones that looked like drainpipes stuck onto the roof to what is very discreet, new development. It is very much to be embraced.

If we moved to a position where it was mandatory on publicly owned buildings, including schools, a whole industry would come behind that. We might be coming to a phase where society does not live as it used to. There is remote working, and there will be changes in patterns and culture after Covid. Some jobs and businesses will not open up again. This is an opportunity. I really respect the drive from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to look at innovative courses. We could probably push more to ensure people are reskilled and upskilled. If we are moving towards mandatory use, there is no reason we would not. There is nothing not to love about this and I fully commend my colleagues on all their hard work and to the Minister of State for being so responsive.

My last pitch is on the funding of microloans to assist organisations. We can also work in the community to facilitate and work on credit unions being able to play their part. They are awash with money and desperate to loan it out at the moment. The rules around them are prohibitive to their being able to match the innovation they would like. This would be a perfect marriage. They are in the community and have knowledge of their communities and of the ability to repay as well as building on the income that would come in the future.