John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Today, I want to ask for a debate with the Minister for Education with regard to solar energy, in particular for schools. That is being rolled out through a really good programme that the Government has initiated, which is the solar programme for schools. It is really exciting. The first trial started in November. It is opened up to 11 counties. That is going to benefit 1,600 schools. Equally, it takes roughly 6 KW per school, which is the equivalent to 16 solar panels, and which will save each school between €1,200 to €1,600 on average per year in energy bills. That is excellent, and a really good Government scheme.

The reason I would like a debate on it is that at the minute there are ten designated counties. There are due to be another eight in quarter 2 of this year and the remainder will be designated by the end of 2024. I would like a debate about that to make sure we keep those timelines on track. It is a very good scheme and we have to make sure that every school and county benefits from it. During the debate, I would like a good deal of clarity around which schools are eligible for it, and which are not. Some schools will be eligible for it based on their infrastructure, or what their roofing or electrical systems are like. It is a really good scheme and we have to make sure that as many schools as possible right across this country are open for it. I raise this today because, unfortunately, my home county of County Louth was not among the original ten. I would really like to see it among the next eight counties in quarter 2 because a huge number of schools in my home county of Louth are hoping to get on this programme, to save a huge amount in energy, and to actually garner excess energy that they can then sell back into the grid and make some money on the side for their school. I would appreciate a debate on that in the future.