Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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20. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he has considered developing district energy and community co-operative projects as part of developing our renewable energy strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40408/14]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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A number of district energy schemes and community co-op projects, including those using energy from renewable sources, have been supported under the Better Energy Programme administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). These include district heating schemes in Tralee and Longford as well as the Aran Island Energy Co-Op, where the retrofit of homes and buildings on the Islands has been funded with the ambition of installing community wind turbines. Additionally, the European Union (Energy Efficiency) Regulations 2014 set out a range of requirements for the promotion of energy efficiency, including a requirement for the SEAI to undertake an assessment of the potential for the application of cost beneficial district heating and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) in Ireland. The development of biomass-fuelled CHP and district heating, as well as improving energy efficiency, has the potential to contribute to our renewable energy targets. The comprehensive assessment is expected to be completed during 2015.