Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 October 2011
9 Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 29 and 34 of 5 April 2011, the further progress which has been made with regard to the ESB microgeneration programme and general supports for microgeneration; the number of customers currently signed up to the ESB tariff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30083/11]
View answerThere are 387 customers on the ESB microgeneration tariff to date, representing a total connected generation capacity of just over 2 megawatts. The technologies being deployed are wind turbines, solar installations and small scale hydro turbines.
ESB Networks agreed in 2009 to provide the necessary import/export metering free of charge to the first four thousand domestic microgeneration customers. ESB Networks also provides a support payment of 10 cent per kilowatt hour for those eligible customers for the first 3000 kilowatt hours exported back to the grid annually for a period of five years. The take-up has been low despite an overall tariff rate of 19 cent per kilowatt hour being available. This compares to the wholesale electricity price, which is currently averaging around 7 cent per kilowatt hour.
Currently, ESB Customer Supply (now rebranded Electric Ireland) is the only electricity supplier in the market offering microgeneration tariffs to domestic customers who generate up to 11 kilowatts. The Commission for Energy Regulation wrote to the other electricity supply companies to see if they would consider introducing a microgeneration tariff but to date no other company has been prepared to introduce such a rate.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is currently completing an 18-month microgeneration pilot scheme and is monitoring the performance of the 42 installations involved. Those participating in the pilot have been able to avail of the tariffs offered. The findings from the pilot will provide valuable data with regard to microgeneration, which will inform policy decisions on how best to stimulate the sector.
In line with the Programme for Government commitment, I have asked my Department and SEAI to finalise their cost benefit analysis work on a feed in tariff programme for microgeneration. Any such programme must be fully cost effective and take into consideration the overall cost implications for all electricity consumers.
