Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2013
100. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will clarify the locations for wind turbines to be erected in Dublin mid-West such as Newcastle, Rathcoole and Athgoe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19952/13]
View answerPlans to locate wind turbines in specific locations is in the first instance a matter for developers in consultation with the relevant planning authority, having due regard to the Development Plan for the area. Any such proposed project would be subject to the Planning Acts, including the requirements for public consultation. Additionally, proposed projects would require appropriate consideration and approval by the Commission for Energy Regulation and appropriate provision for connection to the transmission system by Eirgrid. I am not aware of any plans to erect wind turbines in locations in Dublin mid-West such as Newcastle, Rathcoole and Athgoe.
More generally, a technical review of the Wind Energy Guidelines is being overseen by officials from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, my Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. This review will examine the manner in which the guidelines address key issues of community concern such as noise (including separation distance) and shadow flicker. The review will be completed later this year.
BRIEFING
Wind and EU targets
The Government has set a target of 40% electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2020. In the last 5 years in particular, Ireland has made huge strides in accelerating renewable generation. In the 2001 European RES-E Directive, Ireland was set a target of moving from 3.6% RES-E to 13.2% RES-E by 2010. Ireland achieved 14.8% RES-E in 2010 and exceeded the EU target of 13.2% in 2010.
Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources was published in June 2009. The Directive aims to ensure that by 2020, 20% of all energy consumed in the EU is from renewable sources covering heat, electricity and transport.
The target addressed to Ireland is 16% of all energy consumed to be sourced from renewable energy by 2020. The electricity market is approximately 33% of the energy target. Ireland’s national target for 2020 has been set as 40% of electricity must come from renewable sources (RES-E). Also, this converts to 10% of energy in the transport and 12% of energy in the heat sector must come from renewable sources.
Electricity
The electricity market is the most mature of the national support programmes. Support commenced in the mid-1990s based on competitive tendering under the Alternative Energy Requirement (AER) programme. The more successful feed in tariff support mechanism (REFIT) replaced AER from September 2007.
The primary support mechanism for renewable electricity is REFIT (Renewable Energy Feed in Tariff), which is designed to provide certainty to renewable electricity generators by providing them with a minimum floor price for each unit of electricity exported to the grid over a 15 year period. This certainty afforded by a guaranteed minimum price gives them sufficient certainty to be able to get loans to finance the renewable developments. REFIT 2, launched last year, is designed around interacting with the market price.
The increasing contribution from renewable energy technologies to the electricity market are summarised in the following table energy
|
‘04 |
‘05 |
‘06 |
‘07 |
‘08 |
‘09 |
‘10 |
‘11 |
|
5.2% |
6.8% |
8.6% |
9.5% |
11.9% |
14.1% |
14.8% |
17.6% |
Technologies employed
There are 2000 megawatts (MW), approx., of installed generating plant harnessing renewable energy technologies. The dominant technology developed in recent times is onshore wind power ca 1696 MW with a lesser amount of biomass, mainly landfill gas. Hydropower contributes approximately 238 MW of installed capacity. On an electricity system of the order of 6000 MWs of installed capacity, wind now represents approximately 30% of the total installed capacity.
It was estimated a total of 1650 MW of installed renewable capacity was required to achieve the 15% renewable electricity target. There were sufficient projects with both planning permission and a connection offer to deliver this target with onshore wind remaining dominant. The latest figures from EirGrid show that there is a further 1,582 MW with signed connection agreements or in the final stages of agreeing one.
Microgeneration
Should a microgeneration scheme be introduced, if this to be funded from the PSO levy, increased electricity costs would have to be borne by all customers to fund it. This Department and SEAI are finalising analysis, which will be completed shortly, on the most cost effective options which could be considered for supporting the microgeneration sector, having regard to the costs and benefits for all energy consumers.
Future capacity
The recent Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) decision on the ‘Gate 3’ process provides for connection offers for 3900 MWs of additional renewable electricity capacity in the short term. Connection offers for Gate 3 were due to issue between December 2009 and Q3, 2011 and have all been issued. Major infrastructure developments are required to deliver this. EirGrid (the transmission system operator) has developed a plan for these necessary infrastructure developments (see: www.eirgrid.com/media/Grid%2025.pdf ). As a consequence, these projects will be building out over the decade
