Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
294. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the number of schools that had solar panels installed as part of the summer works programme in 2022 and to date in 2023, by county, in tabular form. [42194/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Budget 2023 included the announcement for the provision of fully funded solar photovoltaic (PV) panels with an output of 6kW for all schools. This funding will be made available from the Climate Action Fund at the discretion of the Minister for the Environment.
This significant solar PV programme, will assist schools with their energy needs and costs along with supporting the decarbonisation of our school buildings.
As part of the preparation for the roll out of the national programme, a key first step was to establish the level of existing PV installations across the overall school estate. I can advise, that the survey in respect of the number of solar PV panels that are installed in schools across the country is now complete. The survey indicates that approximately 10% of post-primary schools and 5% of primary schools already have solar PV panels installed.
In respect of the roll out of the solar PV programme, I can advise that my Department officials are working closely with colleagues in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication in relation to the arrangements for this scheme. In parallel, the Department is developing the strategic management requirements for provision of a multi-annual solar PV delivery programme for primary and post primary schools. The solar panel programme for schools is detailed in the published Climate Action Plan 2023, to be developed with roll out of the multi-annual delivery programme commencing in late 2023.
In respect of the number of PV solar panels that were installed as part of the summer works scheme in 2022 and 2023, I can advise that there were no PV solar panels installed. Each summer works project is assessed on an individual basis by the professional and technical team in the planning and building unit. The P&T team evaluate all projects to check if the installation of PV solar panels is suitable for the planned summer works, and where possible this work will be incorporated, however, it is not always possible to install PV solar panels on all summer works projects as there are many contributing factors.
As you may be aware, the purpose of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The current SWS operates on a multi-annual basis and was last opened for applications in 2019.
The Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings. It is a priority for Government to deliver on Ireland’s ambitious climate agenda and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This includes targets around the decarbonisation of Ireland’s public buildings.
As part of it’s planning for 2023 and beyond, Department officials are working on the arrangements for the next phases of the summer works programme. It is envisaged at this stage that, a new Multi-Annual SWS with a focus on climate action and energy conservation will be opened for new applications later in 2023 for delivery of projects on a phased basis from 2024 onwards. Schools will be notified of the details of the SWS in due course.
