Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 January 2014
452. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the percentage of Ireland's energy supply that is produced by solar energy; the megawatts this represents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1168/14]
View answer453. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on whether there is further potential for solar power development here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1169/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 452 and 453 together.
There are two types of solar energy technologies in use in Ireland, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) produces an annual report detailing Ireland’s Energy Balance.
Solar thermal energy is reported in Ireland’s Energy Balance 2012 as accounting for 10.22 kilo-tonnes of energy (ktoe). This is equivalent to 118,856 Megawatt hours (MWh). The 2012 report shows that the total Primary Energy Requirement was 13,229 ktoe. Therefore the percentage of Ireland's primary energy requirement that is produced by solar thermal energy in 2012 was 0.08%.
The SEAI does not currently report on solar photovoltaic (PV) in the Energy Balance. However, they do collect information from ESB Networks (ESBN), which shows that there were 134 microgeneration grid connected PV installations at the end of 2012, with a total installed capacity of 364 Kilowatts (kW). SEAI estimate an electrical output of 250 MWh from these installations in 2012. These microgeneration connections are domestic installations only. While there are also some existing standalone (i.e. not connected to the grid) commercial and domestic installations, statistics are not available for these installations.
A progress report on Ireland’s National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) is currently being finalised. The findings of this report will provide a suitable context for reviewing the potential for cost effective support of microgeneration (including solar).
