Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2024
134. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the extent to which his Department continues to explore electricity generation from non-fossil fuels by way of wind, wave or solar; the full extent of the investment to date in each element of the sector; the degree to which he expects such investment to materialise in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21835/24]
View answer138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the degree to which investment in wind turbines that are capable of producing electricity in the short term can be funded as a matter of urgency, with particular reference to the dependency of Ireland and Europe on imported fuels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21839/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 138 together.
Ireland is already a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid, with over 6 GW of renewable generation capacity currently installed. According to the latest data, Ireland ranks second in the world for wind power as a percentage of generation in 2023, with circa 4.8 GW of wind generation connected. Solar PV is now a growing source of electricity and is rapidly transforming Ireland’s energy system by complementing wind power with over 1 GW currently connected, including over 400 MW of rooftop solar and over 600 MW of grid-scale solar.
The Government’s Climate Action Plan 2024 (CAP 24) reaffirms Ireland’s ambitious targets of 9 GW of onshore wind capacity, 8 GW of solar capacity and at least 5 GW of offshore wind capacity connected to the grid by 2030 in order to meet the requirement of 80% of electricity demand supplied by renewables. This will require unseen levels of investment in renewable electricity generation development and in the infrastructure required to expand and strengthen our electricity grid.
The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is Ireland’s flagship support scheme for grid-scale renewable electricity generators. The three onshore RESS and one Offshore RESS auctions held since September 2020 have been fundamental in supporting required investment in renewable energy generation projects. The latest onshore RESS auction (RESS 4) is due to take place over the summer and the Terms and Conditions of the second Offshore RESS auction (ORESS 2.1) are also expected to be published in Q2 this year.
The stable and regular RESS auction programme as well as other routes to market including Corporate Power Purchase Agreements are critical enables of the investment needed to underpin a renewables led energy system.
The Micro-Generation Support Scheme (MSS) was introduced by Government as a means of supporting 380 megawatts of new micro-generation capacity by 2030. In addition, the Small-Scale Generation Scheme (SRESS) supports non-domestic renewable electricity generators above 50kW. Grants are already available for renewable self-consumers in this category and the export tariff phase of SRESS, to support exporting small scale and community renewable projects, is due to be launched in the coming weeks.
