Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 May 2025
43. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the funding that was available to renewable energy communities in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; and the amount drawn down in each of the years, in tabular form. [28180/25]
View answer45. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the estimated cost to increase the funding available for renewable energy committees over a five-year period, rising by 50% per annum, broken down by years 1 to 5. [28182/25]
View answer46. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the estimated cost to increase the funding available for renewable energy committees over a five-year period, rising by 25% per annum, broken down by years 1 to 5. [28183/25]
View answer47. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the estimated cost to increase the funding available for renewable energy committees over a five-year period, rising by 33% per annum, broken down by years 1 to 5. [28184/25]
View answer67. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to estimate the cost to increase the funding available for renewable energy communities over a 5-year period, rising by 50%, 33% and 25% per annum, by years one to five. [28244/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 45, 46, 47 and 67 together.
The Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) Community Enabling Framework was launched in 2022. It provided a range of supports, including grant funding of potentially up to €180,000, offered from SEAI to community renewable energy projects, to help them participate in the RESS. To date, two community projects (both under RESS 1 in 2022), including one solar and one wind, have received €40,000 each in grant funding. Similar supports will be available under the Small Scale Renewable Support scheme, which opened for applications in January 2025.
The funding allocated for community energy is for a range of supports, aside from grants. This support includes the provision of a suite of information resources and guidance documents which are the first reference point for any community group, covering various topics, including stakeholder engagement, business planning and the Irish electricity market.
SEAI also provides free access to trusted advisors, who are specialist technical experts to guide communities throughout the stages of project development from forming a community group, through to site identification, feasibility studies, designing a project and making grid and planning applications.
The consultancy support also includes county level grid analysis reports and guidance to support communities to identify areas for renewable energy projects that are most likely to have economically viable grid connections, which is critical to enabling a sustainable community energy sector.
Depending on the location of a project, overall investment costs for communities can run into millions of euro. It is vital that supports such as free grid studies and project feasibility studies are available to ensure that communities are equipped to make sound investment decisions.
SEAI was allocated €0.25m in 2020 to commence the start-up activities for the various supports envisaged under the Enabling Framework.
SEAI was then allocated €3 million in 2021 for the various supports envisaged under the Enabling Framework with an additional €2 million in 2022, €1.2 million in 2023, €1.543 million in 2024 and €1 million in 2025.
The table below provides the cost to increase the funding available for renewable energy communities over a 5-year period, rising by 50%, 33% and 25% per annum, by years one to five.
|
Annual rate of increase |
Year 0 |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
Total Cost |
|
50% |
€1.000m |
€1.500m |
€2.250m |
€3.375m |
€5.063m |
€7.594m |
|
|
Total Cost |
€.500m |
€.750m |
€1.125m |
€1.688m |
€2.531m |
€6.594m |
|
|
33% |
€1.000m |
€1.330m |
€1.769m |
€2.353m |
€3.129m |
€4.162m |
|
|
Total Cost |
€.330m |
€.439m |
€.584m |
€.776m |
€1.033m |
€3.162m |
|
|
25% |
€1.000m |
€1.250m |
€1.563m |
€1.953m |
€2.441m |
€3.052m |
|
|
Total Cost |
€.250m |
€.313m |
€.391m |
€.488m |
€.610m |
€2.052m |
