Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
183. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications his plans to ensure that persons with solar panels on their homes and smart meters whose excess units are going into the electricity grid will either get their units back or else have them taken off their bills, given the worsening cost of energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18327/22]
View answerOn the 15 February this year I signed the Regulations that transpose Articles 21 and 22 of the recast Renewable Energy Directive which brings these Articles into force. These Regulations mean the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff is now available for new and existing micro-and small-scale generators so that they can receive payment from their electricity supplier for all excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, reflective of the market value. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a decision on an interim enabling framework for the CEG on 1 December 2021. This decision outlines the interim arrangements for the implementation of the CEG, including eligibility criteria and remuneration methodology. The CRU has decided that suppliers will set their individual CEG tariffs on a competitive market basis. A number of suppliers are now advertising their CEG rates and the CRU advise consumers to check with their supplier in the first instance. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) is not setting a date or deadline for the timing of the first payment. Eligible micro- and small-scale generators can expect an initial payment or credit from their supplier within a reasonable time after June 2022. The CRU has asked suppliers to communicate their decision on when initial Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) payments will be made at the earliest opportunity. From January 2022, a tax exemption will apply to income up to €200 per annum received by domestic micro-generators from their suppliers by way of the CEG. This will mean that for the vast majority of domestic renewables self-consumers, who will typically have an installation of below 6kW, there will be no need to declare their income from the CEG.
