Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
208. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the measures he is taking to address the barriers to hybrid connections to facilitate wind, solar and battery technology on the same site for example; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27820/23]
View answerHybrid connections play a key role in providing flexibility to the Irish electricity system and helping to increase the volume of renewable energy on the grid.
Climate Action Plan 2023 sets out a specific action to 'Ensure that hybrid technology grid connections are facilitated, and remaining barriers removed'. The objective of this action is to accelerate investments in renewable power by allowing more than one renewable power source or related technology, such as storage, to share a grid connection.
This action is led by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), in conjunction with EirGrid and ESB Networks and is due to be completed by Q4 2023. CRU has started to work with EirGrid and ESB Networks on the technical, commercial and legal issues involved.
Additionally, the second Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS 2) recognised the important role of hybrid connections in delivering renewable targets and introduced, for the first time, the option for developers to couple renewable electricity generation types along with storage facilities on their project site.Supported technologies within RESS 2 and now RESS 3, include onshore wind, solar and hybrids (co-located wind and solar, co-located wind and storage, or co-located solar and storage). A number of such hybrid projects were successful in the RESS 2 auction and Government will continue to support hybrid projects in this manner. Standalone storage projects, such as batteries, are not eligible for support under the RESS if they are not part of a hybrid project and rather are incentivised through the wholesale electricity market mechanisms.
