Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 October 2025
150. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the amount of uptake for the small-scale renewable electricity support scheme for SMEs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54203/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government commits to promoting the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS). The scheme provides financial incentives to develop smaller scale solar and wind energy and was designed with two support mechanisms to suit two distinct cohorts of applicants.
The first phase of SRESS was launched in July 2023. This sees both SRESS and the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) providing grant support to businesses, farms, public buildings, and communities with grants that support solar installations. These non-domestic scheme grants are supporting renewables self-consumers to invest in systems of up to 1MW in size. Renewables self-consumers are electricity customers that produce renewable electricity for their own use. They are also legally entitled to sell any excess electricity that they produce to their electricity supplier, or else store it for their own use.
The SRESS export phase (SRESS 1) is designed for SME, farm and community export only projects above 50kW to 6MW. SRESS offers a simpler route to market for the groups, with fixed tariffs for solar and wind, aligning more closely to the capacity of these sectors. All export projects up to 1MW can also apply to SRESS, and need not be SME, farm or community projects.
The scheme opened for applications in January. The SRESS application form together with the terms and conditions, a non-technical summary and a guide to first steps in starting an export or self-consumption renewable project, are available on the Department’s website at www.gov.ie/SRESS
Five SME and five community applications have been accepted into the scheme. My Department is also processing additional SME and community applications that have been received.
