Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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183. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if grants are available for businesses to install solar or PV panels. [16645/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) extended grant support to the non-domestic section in September 2022, for installations up to and including 6KW. This includes small to medium-sized businesses, public organisations and community groups. Both grants are administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and are up to a maximum of €2,400.

This new phase of the scheme provides an opportunity for a wide variety of businesses to reduce their electricity bills. Moreover, with the introduction of the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG), any residual renewable electricity not consumed on the premises of these microgenerators is now eligible for an export payment which further supports the investment.

The final phase of the MSS will involve the introduction of a Clean Export Premium (CEP) feed-in tariff, to support non-domestic applicants for installation sizes greater than 6KWp up to 50KWp. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) will consult on an implementation plan for the CEP tariff later in 2023.

The SEAI also administer the Community Energy Grant Scheme designed to encourage and support retrofit and energy efficiency upgrades in commercial, public (including schools), community and voluntary sector facilities. Renewable energy solutions including solar PV are also eligible, where included as part of a broader project. The CEG scheme is a key mechanism to bring together multiple partners (including service companies, obligated energy suppliers, Sustainable Energy Communities) to achieve national retrofit and energy efficiency objectives.

My department is also developing the Small-Scale Generation (SSG) scheme for generators above 50kW to support the deployment of rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV in cohorts that are not as suited to other support measures, such as the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS). This scheme is expected to be launched in 2023.