Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is responsible, inter alia, for oversight of the costs associated with the operation and development of the national grid by the System Operators. Decisions regarding the development of the national electricity grid rest with EirGrid and ESB Networks. EirGrid, as Transmission System Operator, have responsibility for the development of the Transmission Network and ESB Networks, as Distribution System Operator, have responsibility for the development of the Distribution Network. EirGrid and ESBN are independent bodies and as such the Minister has no power regarding the exercise of their respective functions.

In relation to access to the grid of households and businesses with solar PV system, for safety reasons, all microgeneration systems must be registered with ESBN, using the NC6 notification process. This process also includes recording the size of the microgeneration system. To maintain balance and prevent strain on the low voltage distribution grid, ESBN has set limits based on the size of the inverter through which the PV panels transport their generation. These limits require that the peak export from inverters should not exceed 25A (approx. 6kVA) for single-phase connections or 16A/phase (approx. 11kVA) for three-phase connections.

While export limits are in place to protect the grid, households can still install larger systems through the NC7 mini-generation process or adopt solutions to maximise self-consumption of solar PV generated electricity. Furthermore, the use of smart inverters and batteries as part of Solar PV systems, as well as households and businesses flexing their energy demand across the day and using services enabled by the National Smart Metering Programme, will increasingly be a more effective and economic way of supporting the grid and reducing costs for consumers.