Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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614. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if grant aid is available to install solar panels in a local authority estate (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7280/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government is primarily responsible for the upgrade of the Local Authority housing stock. Under his Department’s Social Housing Investment Programme, local authorities are allocated capital funding each year in respect of a range of measures to improve the standard and overall quality of their social housing stock.

The Better Energy Communities Programme (BEC), operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland on behalf of my Department, is also open to applications that include local authority houses. Under this scheme, community based partnerships can apply for funding to upgrade the energy performance of a range of homes, community facilities and businesses in a local community.

As well as standard energy efficiency measures, renewable technologies such as solar panels are supported under this scheme and the scheme has supported some 300 community energy projects over the last five years throughout the country. This has seen more than 15,000 homes and hundreds of community, private and public buildings receive energy upgrades, supporting several hundred jobs each year.

There is €30 million available in grant supports for community energy projects under the 2017 BEC scheme. The closing date for applications is 17th February. For more information on the BEC Scheme and to find a copy of the application form please click here .