Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2022
89. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the microgeneration support scheme will be established; and when microgenerators will begin receiving payments. [25815/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe phased introduction of the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) has begun with the commencement of the MSS domestic solar PV grant on 16 February last, with grant levels up to a maximum of €2,400 available. Under the MSS there is no minimum post-works Building Energy Rating (BER) requirement and homes built pre-2021 are eligible.The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) will extend the solar PV grant to the non-domestic sector for installations up to 6.0kW in July this year.The Government, in the recently published National Energy Security Framework, announced a number of additional measures including a new targeted €20 million scheme for the installation of Photo Voltaic (PV) panels for households that have a high reliance on electricity for medical reasons.In February I signed the Regulations (SI 76 of 2022) that create an obligation on suppliers to offer the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff to new and existing micro-and small-scale generators so that they will receive payment for excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, reflective of the market value. I am that some suppliers have advertised their CEG tariff, and eligible micro-generators will start receiving CEG tariff remuneration from 1 July.Businesses that use a large amount of electricity will benefit most when they maximise self-consumption from their own micro-generation. The financial business case for micro-generation for these high electricity users is already strong.New installations greater than 6kW up to 50kW will be eligible for a Clean Export Premium (CEP) tariff per kWh exported from their electricity supplier. The CEP will be €0.135/kWh in 2022, fixed for 15 years. It is expected that the CEP will be implemented further to a public consultation on an Implementation Plan by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) in Q3 this year.
