Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2020
961. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the steps he will take to implement the Climate Action Plan 2019; if his attention has been drawn to the considerable need to allow small generators to share or sell extra power generated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5214/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government's Climate Action Plan identifies how Ireland will achieve its 2030 climate targets and deliver a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (or 3% per year on average). This puts us on a trajectory which would be consistent with net zero carbon emissions by 2050. A key part of the Plan is a move to 70% renewable electricity by 2030. The Climate Action Plan commits to actions to ensure that renewable self-consumers can sell excess electricity they produce back to the grid. Action 30 of the Climate Action Plan commits to the delivery of a framework for micro-generation from renewable technologies including solar photovoltaic (PV), micro-wind, micro-hydro and micro combined heat and power (CHP), whilst ensuring principles of equity, self-consumption and energy efficiency first are incorporated.
A Micro-Generation working group, chaired by my Department, is examining an enabling framework for micro- generation which tackles existing barriers and establishes suitable supports within relevant market segments. The proposed support mechanism will be outlined in a public consultation in 2020 and a suitable support payment for excess electricity generated on site and exported to the grid will be available to all micro-generators by 2021.
Under the EU Clean Energy package (CEP), Ireland will transpose the Internal Energy Markets Directive governing electricity market rules, which will allow for sharing of renewable energy in communities. In this regard the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published a Roadmap for the Clean Energy Package’s Electricity and Renewables Directives in March this year which provides for a public consultation on the regulatory framework for prosumer development later this year. The document is available here:
https://www.cru.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CRU20043-Roadmap-for-the-Clean-Energy-Packages-Electricity-and-Renewables-Directives.pdf
