Marian Harkin demands simpler, fairer access to solar energy
Marian Harkin questioned the minister on barriers to solar deployment and shortcomings in the Better Energy Warmer Home scheme. She urged the minister to simplify microgeneration rules, cut upfront costs and clarify retrofit spending.
Solar deployment barriers
Ms Harkin outlined the planning and grid hurdles facing solar projects, noting that applicants must first secure planning permission and a grid connection. She highlighted a required fee of seven and a half grand to the ESB just to make an application and criticised the renewable electricity support scheme competitive auction model as favouring large developers over farmers, businesses, householders and communities.
Call for accessible microgeneration
The TD said the system currently prevents smaller actors from taking part and welcomed consideration of micro generation of less than one megawatt. She asked the minister to make the scheme simple, usable and cost effective so that farmers and communities can get a slice of the solar market and avoid repeating past mistakes from wind energy rollout.
Concerns about retrofit delivery
Ms Harkin raised findings from the court of auditors report on the Better Energy Warmer Home scheme, saying projects did not define energy-saving objectives, did not report energy saved and that more than half of supported households did not improve energy ratings. She tied those findings to the national retrofit plan and pressed the minister on what changes show lessons have been learned.
Questions on spending and timing
She noted the report's finding that only 27% of the money allocated to that scheme had been spent by the end of 2018 and asked for an update on what percentage has been spent up to now. She also observed that the scheme is near its end as the country is halfway through 2020, seeking clarity on remaining delivery and accountability.
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Minister, I just want to ask you two questions. First relates to solar energy. So if we look at the process, first of all you've got to get planning permission and then you've got to get a grid connection. Now that can be cost effective or cost prohibitive depending on upgrade of lines etc. But before any of that you have to pay seven and a half grand to the ESB just to make your application and then you have to apply to the renewable electricity support scheme by way of a competitive auction. Minister, this system is designed that only large solar development companies have the resources to do it. We need to see farmers, we need to see businesses, we need to see householders, we need to see communities get a slice of the solar market. And I would ask the question, have we learned nothing? We made this mistake with wind energy and we we have reaped the whirlwind literally. Now I do know you're looking at micro generation of less than one megawatt. And I know many farmers who want to get involved in this. So what I'm asking you to do Minister is three things. Please make this scheme simple, usable and cost effective. So that's the first thing. The second point I want to raise is around the court of auditors report and the better energy warmer home scheme. Now this report states that in practice projects did not define any energy saving objective, did not report on energy saved and for more than half of the supported households did not improve energy ratings. Now I know we have a national retrofit plan. And I just have two short questions. The first is what is now in that plan that shows that we have learned from the mistakes that we made with that scheme and that we don't make the similar mistakes again. And my second question is, again, according to the court of auditors report, only 27% of the money allocated to that scheme had been spent by the end of 2018. We're almost well, we're halfway through 2020, but we're almost at the end of the scheme. Can you tell me if you know, Minister Minister, how much or what percentage of the money has been spent up to now? Thank you.
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