Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 November 2023
91. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the amount of electricity generated from solar power in 2022; the projected amount to be generated in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50380/23]
View answer92. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications how many megawatts of solar power were installed in 2022; what the target is for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50381/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 92 together.
Throughout 2022, 371 MW of grid-scale solar was installed. There are no specific targets set for 2023 however the Climate Action Plan outlines a target of installed capacity of 5GW of solar by 2025, increasing to up to 8 GW by 2030.
Government approved the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) in December 2021 to support 380 MW of new micro-generation by 2030 under the Climate Action Plan. This amounts to 60,000 homes and 9,000 non-domestic installations, such as small farms and businesses, schools and community groups etc, which would generate over 300 GWh of renewable electricity per annum, with the potential to abate 1.4 million tonnes of CO2eq over the lifetime of the installations.
Solar PV panels are installed under a number of scenarios and are supported under a number of Department funded and SEAI administered schemes. For domestic installations, solar PV is installed on new homes, as one of the measures to achieve compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations. They are also installed on existing buildings through grant supports offer by Government, through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
With regard to the number of households that are feeding electricity into the grid, while there is no single register to record the number of microgenerators exporting to the grid at any one time, ESB Networks (ESBN) do maintain a register of NC6 submissions which record the number of micro-generators who have registered their export capabilities. NC6 submissions record the number of micro-generators who have registered their export capabilities and may therefore be eligible for CEG remuneration from their supplier. As of 3rd November 2023, ESBN have received 73,286 valid NC6 form applications from micro-generators nationwide. ESBN are estimating that 33, 000 will be processed in 2023 with a capacity of 145MW.
The primary advantage of micro-generation for households is through the self-consumption of solar electricity, and this is predominantly how solar PV can shield consumers from high energy costs. While there is potential for payment for any excess electricity, export is an additional benefit but should not be the primary driver for engaging in microgeneration.
