Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2024
120. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications for a breakdown of the funding provided for community solar photovoltaic systems in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42535/24]
View answerThe Programme for Government committed to the development of a Solar Energy Strategy for rooftop and ground-based photovoltaics to ensure that a greater share of our electricity needs is met through solar power.
The Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) Community Enabling Framework was launched in 2022. It provides a range of supports, including grant funding of potentially up to €180,000, offered from SEAI to community renewable energy projects, to help them participate in the RESS. To date, two community projects (both under RESS 1 in 2022), including one solar and one wind, have received €40,000 each in grant funding.
My Department is working closely with the SEAI and community groups to assess the barriers to community energy projects, to ensure a long term sustainable future for the community energy sector in Ireland. In that regard, community projects will now transition to the non-competitive Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS), enabling community projects to maximise their participation in the energy transition.
The first phase of SRESS was launched in July 2023. This sees both SRESS and the Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) providing support to communities, larger businesses, farms, and public buildings, with grants that support solar installations for self-consumption. These non-domestic scheme grants are supporting renewables self-consumers to invest in systems of up to 1MW in size. A total of 1,923 grants applications have been received, including, for the Community and Sports Sector 103 grant applications amounting to funding of €910,109 and a total installation capacity of over 7.7 MW.
The export project tariff phase of SRESS, is due to open for applications by the end of the year, and will be a major step forward in supporting the community energy sector and a key building block in delivering on the solar strategy.
