Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2026
138. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a breakdown of all the revenue the Government has spent to facilitate and support community energy, by cap ex and op ex in each of the years 2020 to 2025, and to date in 2026, tabular form. [48921/26]
View answer139. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the funding allocated to the community enabling framework, by cap and op ex; to provide a breakdown of the way in which the funding is directed at whether through staffing and / or grant supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48922/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 139 together.
My Department provides a range of initiatives to support the development of community energy in Ireland.[]
The SEAI Communities Energy Grant (CEG) Scheme funds energy efficiency improvements across Irish communities. By grouping buildings into shared retrofit programmes, the scheme helps homeowners, communities, and businesses deliver comprehensive energy savings more efficiently and cost-effectively than working alone.
The attached table sets out the capital expenditure on the Community Energy Grant (CEG) scheme in the period 2020-2026 (end May).
The Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS) provides financial incentives to community groups and others to develop smaller scale solar and wind energy. SRESS was designed with two support mechanisms to suit two cohorts of applicants.
The first phase of SRESS provides grants via the Non-Domestic Microgen Grant which are available for renewables self-consumers above 50 kW and up to 1 MW. To date, 5087 grant applications have been received and 397 of those grant applications have come from the Community and Sports Sector, amounting to funding of nearly €3.25 million in paid and committed grants, which amount to total potential installed capacity of over 23 MW.
The SRESS Export tariff scheme targets community, SME and farm export-only projects, above 50kW to 6MW. It offers fixed tariffs for solar and wind, supported by the Public Service Obligation.
The Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) Community Enabling Framework, launched in 2022, provides a range of supports offered by SEAI to community renewable energy projects to help them participate in the RESS, and since January 2025 in SRESS.
SEAI was allocated €0.25m in 2020 to commence the start-up activities for the various supports envisaged under the Enabling Framework. SEAI was then allocated €3 million in 2021 to support the work of the Enabling Framework with an additional €2 million in 2022, €1.2 million in 2023, €1.54 million in 2024, €1 million in 2025 and €1 million in 2026. These include the budget available for potential grants.
Some of the information requested concerns expenditure from 2020, which pre dates the RESS Community Enabling Framework, is being compiled by SEAI. I have asked SEAI to forward a reply directly to the Deputy in this regard.
The figures in the table below set out the capital expenditure on the Community Energy Grant (CEG) scheme in the period 2020-2026 (end May):
|
SEAI CEG Scheme |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 (to end May) |
|
Capital Spend |
€18.7m |
€21.8m |
€17.3m |
€27m |
€41.2m |
€44.041m |
€11.08m |
|
Current Spend |
€0.352m |
0.408m |
€0.253m |
€0.216m |
€0.232m |
€0.196m |
€0.045m |
