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Renewable Energy Generation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 November 2017

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Questions (191)

Robert Troy

Question:

191. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reason wind energy is the main source of renewable energy being explored and invested in by this Government when there are more efficient sources of renewable energy, for example, solar and tidal energy. [49638/17]

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Written answers

Current financial supports for renewable electricity projects in Ireland are provided via the Renewable Electricity Feed-In-Tariff (REFIT) schemes, which support renewable electricity generated and exported onto the national grid. Renewable technologies supported under the REFIT schemes include onshore wind, hydro, biomass landfill gas, biomass combustion, biomass combined heat and power (CHP) and anaerobic digestion CHP. At present, neither ocean energy technologies nor solar photovoltaic (Solar PV), for electricity generation, are supported under any of these REFIT schemes. This is largely down to the historic higher costs associated with both technologies relative to other commercial renewable technologies.

The 2015 Energy White Paper and the 2016 Programme for Government recognise that Ireland’s long-term interests are best supported by further decreasing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels through the continued development of indigenous renewable energy. To support the delivery of this ambition, my Department is currently developing a proposed new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) which will be designed to assist Ireland in meeting its renewable energy contributions out to 2030.

The design of the new scheme has included an extensive independent economic appraisal. This appraisal compared the cost of supporting a broad range of commercial renewable technologies, including ocean technologies (both wave and tidal) and solar PV, in addition to offshore wind, onshore wind, bioenergy technologies including biomass combustion, biomass CHP, anaerobic digestion CHP, sewage gas, BioGas and waste-to-energy.

While at this point no final decisions have been made as regards which technologies will be supported, I welcome and have noted with interest the falling costs of renewable technologies over the past year, such as offshore wind and solar PV.  Increasing renewable technology diversity is one of several policy objectives the new RESS is trying to deliver and falling technology costs may lead to increased diversity of the renewable portfolio over the medium term.

Question No. 192 answered with Question No. 60.
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