Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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289. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in view of the fact that the Chinese have flooded much of the European market with photovoltaic solar panels, the reason solar panels are nearly three times more expensive here than in the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29396/13]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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In view of falling technology costs, my Department recently asked the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to update existing analysis on the costs of varying levels of support for microgeneration technologies, including solar, with a view to considering how the sector could be supported in the future. It is not clear on what data the Deputy is relying in suggesting a threefold differential on the cost of photovoltaic panels as between Ireland and the United Kingdom. Preliminary indications from the SEAI’s ongoing work suggest that prices of photovoltaic installations in Ireland are generally consistent with and, in many cases lower than, the prices reported for installations within the UK.