Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2015
608. Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way he expects to meet the 20-20-20 energy targets; if there is a renewable energy model in place; the role he envisages for solar, wind, wave, geothermal, and microgeneration; if he has a policy in relation to renewable energy feed-in tariffs for homes and businesses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18422/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EU's 2020 targets for emissions reduction, renewable energy and energy efficiency form a cornerstone of EU energy policy. The EU aims to deliver a 20% improvement in energy efficiency, a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and 20% of our energy coming from renewable sources by 2020.
The Government’s 2020 strategy is set firmly in the global and European contexts. Our objectives accord with the policy objectives set by the European Union. These are grounded in the economic, environmental and supply security imperatives to decarbonise energy systems and diversify energy sources by fundamentally de-coupling energy from reliance on fossil fuels.
The 2009 EU Renewable Energy Directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. To meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand from renewable sources. Policies and schemes are in place to incentivise the use of renewable energy and Ireland has made significant progress with regard to renewable energy deployment. To date, wind energy has been the largest driver of growth in renewable electricity.
The REFIT schemes are the principal means of supporting renewable electricity generators for renewable energy exported to the grid. These schemes support electricity generated from a range of renewable sources including small scale hydro, biomass and wind. Solar PV, wave energy, or geothermal are not supported by the REFIT schemes.
Given the emerging policy context and the requirements of the EU target market for electricity, my Department is beginning the process of developing a new support scheme for electricity, to be available from 2016 onwards. A key component of this will be consideration of all available technologies, their cost effectiveness and the level of support required.
As regards energy efficiency, my Department is continuing to develop and enhance policy in this area and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is continuing to implement policy with the roll out of efficiency measures in homes and businesses throughout the country.
