Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

91. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on public private partnership social housing developments that have photovoltaic panels installed but are not connected to battery storage; if this is common practice; and his further views on whether it is a waste of energy. [56365/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2019 requires that all new social housing is built to Nearly Zero Energy Building requirements. These regulations also require that, the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required is covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby.

It is matter for the designer/specifier to specify the renewables to meet this requirement.

Renewables should be installed in accordance with relevant NSAI EN and IS standards.

The use of electricity from microgeneration is a matter for the Minister of Environment Climate and Communications. Typically surplus electricity which is generated by residential photovolatic (PV) panels can be exported back onto the electricity grid and is therefore not wasted.

All homes constructed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) social housing developments have been designed to be NZEB compliant in accordance with the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2019. As part of this design some of these homes have PV panels installed which are connected to an inverter and provide electricity, supplemented by mains supply. The PPP schemes developed to date were designed/tendered in 2017/2018 using the renewable technologies available at that time. Battery storage was not typically provided for in the design of housing schemes at that time. Energy is not wasted as any PV generated electricity not used within the home is exported to the national electricity grid.