Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021
117. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when persons will be able to sell surplus electricity to the grid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48182/21]
View answerMy Department outlined proposals for a new Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) in a public consultation that closed in February last. A summary report of the submissions received has been published on my Department's website.
While the primary aim of a micro-generation scheme is to allow electricity users to meet their own electricity needs, it is intended that a suitable payment for excess electricity generated on site and exported to the grid will be available to all renewables self-consumers later this year, subject to regulatory arrangements, and in line with transposition of Articles 21 and 22 of the recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has published a draft framework outlining the details, including eligibility criteria and timescales for introduction, of a Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff for exported renewable electricity. Details can be found on the CRU website: www.cru.ie. When enacted, this framework will introduce an obligation on electricity suppliers to offer remuneration to their customers, by way of a CEG payment, for excess renewable electricity exported to the grid by eligible micro- and small-scale generators. I understand that the CRU consultation will last four weeks, with a decision expected to be published in November.
The legal basis for the enabling framework is dependent on the transposition of the relevant articles of RED II and Directive (EU) 2019/944 on common rules for the internal market for electricity (IMED), which establish the renewables self-consumer model of electricity generation. My Department is engaging with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on transposing these Articles into Irish law and it is intended that this will be achieved before the end of this year.
