David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 240: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the funding available to enable research to be carried out into sustainable and renewable generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21753/06]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Renewable Energy Research Development and Demonstration Programme under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 is overseen and implemented by Sustainable Energy Ireland with the objective of: accelerating the development and deployment in the Irish marketplace of competitive renewable energy products, processes and systems; providing support for solutions that enable technical and other barriers to market uptake and/or modal switching to be overcome; establishing, where necessary, and strengthening, where possible, a national capacity to access, develop and apply international class RD&D in a way that can best meet specific Irish needs on a continuing basis; facilitating and providing guidance to policy makers.

To the end May 2006, a total of €10.5m has been committed to 79 grant projects in biomass, ocean, wind, solar and hydro energy and a range of commissioned public-good studies. Research in this latter area includes topics such as resource, economic and technical market studies. Research and development aimed at the integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity infrastructure and market is one of the key priorities under the present programme. The establishment of the Energy Research Council and related Energy RTDI exchequer funding for 2006 and forward years will significantly enhance the National Energy RTDI agenda including renewable technologies.