Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)

We can all agree that one of the biggest frustrations for the Irish taxpayer is waste. Since 2017, Ireland has wasted more than €2.1 billion worth of renewable electricity due to curtailment. Taxpayers' money finances the energy that is used to electrify social housing, yet we are throwing away thousands of euro worth of electricity every night when we generate surplus energy. Why? It is because we have nowhere to store it and it simply gets earthed.

This is all happening against the backdrop of the all-too-common issue of fuel poverty. It is a subject with which all of us as public representatives are familiar. According to the ESRI, 550,000 families in Ireland are now living in fuel poverty. This should not be happening in 2025 in a country like Ireland. This energy could and should be used to help people most in need. My party colleague, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is committed to supporting initiatives such as the EnergyCloud programme to tackle this problem. I am pleased that families in east Galway are part of the EnergyCloud programme that was launched last year with Galway County Council, where this surplus energy is stored and redirected to heat the water tanks of families living in fuel poverty. Not alone does this reduce their financial difficulties but it saves the taxpayer a fortune by reducing the money we spend on heating social homes. This is a long-term solution and it is not a hugely costly project to roll out. This initial project will see approximately 150 families in Galway benefit. The great news is that it is already operational. It is easy to roll out.

I want to see more energy companies play their part and contribute to finding ways to use surplus energy and help tackle energy poverty in the country. Some of my Fianna Fáil colleagues in Dáil Éireann have championed this issue, including the Minister of State, Deputy Chris O'Sullivan, and Deputy Paul McAuliffe, who has produced Private Members' legislation on the matter. Councillor Emma Murphy on South Dublin County Council has led from the front on this topic as well. She helped launch an initiative in her area of South Dublin in association with EnergyCloud and Clúid Housing. I commend the recognition of this opportunity in the programme for Government, including the commitment to exploring how surplus renewable energy can be used to help reduce fuel poverty and benefit all communities.

Tá an fhadhb seo an-dáiríre agus caithfimid dul i ngleic leis go tapa agus airgead a shábháil do dhaoine a íocann cáin sa tír seo. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go mbogfaimid go tapa maidir leis seo. Will the Deputy Leader arrange time for a full debate on using surplus renewable energy to help tackle energy poverty?