Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 447: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he plans to introduce a grant and incentive scheme for micro wind energy generators; if he will provide relevant material; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25529/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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In the Irish electricity market at present, there is one supply company (ESB Customer Supply) currently offering consumers a microgeneration feed-in tariff support scheme under certain terms and conditions. This tariff is offered on a commercial basis and it is open to other supply companies to enter this market. Further details of the ESB micro generation scheme are available at www.esb.ie/esbnetworks.

Uptake to date has been mainly in the wind category with 31 in the solar photovoltaic and 1 in the hydro category. While there have been about 400 additional enquiries in relation to the scheme, it is clear that there will be limited enough overall take up. It is equally clear to me that further steps are needed to stimulate interest in and take up of microgeneration.

Late last year the Commission for Energy Regulation wrote to all the other electricity supply companies inviting them to introduce microgeneration schemes similar to that of ESB but there has been no response to date. In line with my objective to increase deployment of microgeneration technologies, my Department is working closely with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to build on the experience gained from the field trials undertaken by SEAI and to assess the options for increased market deployment. Technical and safety standards are being developed and options for possible new support measures are being explored. The existing ESB scheme is focused very much on domestic scale technologies with an 11 kv size limit. I have asked my Department to examine a range of larger technologies which would be appropriate for deployment at farm, small business and community level. The work will be completed as soon as possible and I will then consider what further steps should be taken.