Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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550. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will report on the progress toward 2020 renewable energy targets; his plans to meet those targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48395/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive sets Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020.  Ireland is committed to achieving this target through meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of heat and 10% of transport from renewable sources of energy.

Latest data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) indicate that 30.1% of our electricity came from renewable sources in 2017.  Overall, SEAI analysis shows that 10.6% of Ireland’s energy requirements in 2017 were met from renewable sources, with an expectation that Ireland will achieve over 80% of its 16% renewable energy target by 2020. The SEAI has also estimated that the contribution of renewables avoided €276 million of fossil fuel imports in 2017.

The Government has also adopted a range of policy measures and schemes to incentivise the use of renewable energy including the Renewable Energy Feed-In-Tariff (REFIT) schemes.  In addition, my Department is progressing the proposed new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), which has been designed to assist Ireland in meeting its renewable energy contributions out to 2030.

A Support Scheme for Renewable Heat (SSRH) was launched this year, which is open to all non-domestic heat users not operating in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The purpose of the scheme is to reduce the use of fossil fuels within the heating sector.  

Moreover, the Government has committed significant funding to support electric vehicles through the National Development Plan, which includes an allocation of €200 million for the period 2018-2027. This year, there have been 1,686 new electric vehicles sold, which represents a 135% increase on the same point in 2017.

In April 2018, in order to provide certainty to obligated parties, a policy statement on the Biofuel Obligation Scheme was published. This policy statement set out an increase in the obligation to 10% from 1 January 2019, which has already been given effect to by way of a Statutory Instrument and to 11% from 1 January 2020.

In July 2018 a new pilot scheme to support micro generation, initially targeting domestic self-consumption through a grant scheme for solar PV installation and battery storage was announced. The data gathered during the pilot scheme will inform potential future phases of support for micro-generation in Ireland that may be appropriate, as we align with the ambition and requirements of the recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED) that recognises the rights, entitlements and obligations of renewable self-consumers.