Date: 13 April 2022
Steven Matthews, Green Party TD for Wicklow, was speaking following the announcement of the long-awaited micro-generation support scheme that enables householders to get paid for extra energy they produce. “If someone chooses to put solar panels in their home as part of an energy upgrade or new build, they can now get paid for every unused unit of power they put back onto the grid. Solar power has massive potential in Ireland for domestic and commercial scale energy production. Every roof top in Ireland, in every home, school, farm building or community centre can play a part in our clean green energy revolution.” Those who have registered for the scheme will be paid a Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) likely from July 1st depending on customers’ billing cycles.
Some householders who have registered are already accruing financial credit for the electricity they have exported to the grid since February 15th, when the regulations were signed, and they will receive back payments once the CEG starts to be paid. Discussing the progress, Deputy Matthews said:
“This was a key Green Party commitment in the Programme for Government, as were improved grants for energy retrofits and a more ambitious target for offshore renewable energy development. Ireland has an abundance of wind energy potential and excellent solar energy generation capability. Last month, Minister Eamon Ryan introduced one of the best home-energy retrofit grant schemes in Europe, we have recently passed legislation for a major plan-led investment in offshore wind development and now we are helping homeowners to generate their own power and to sell back any excess to the national grid. This is the Green Party’s ambition in action, to eliminate fossil fuels and decarbonise our country whilst providing clean, reliable, and affordable energy. We are creating thousands of well-paid jobs as we retrofit and electrify our home heating and transport systems and above all tackle climate chaos to protect our children and future generations. This is the work of a Government that thinks ahead whilst acting on the greatest threat we face in climate breakdown.
“The announcement comes at a time when millions are suffering from a war in Europe in which fossil fuel oil, gas and coal are being used as a lever by a war criminal to inflict horrors on innocent Ukrainian people. Our future and the safety and security of our children is an Ireland with large-scale renewable energy which we will export from our homes and from our windfarms to a pan-European interconnected grid. All homes across Europe are facing unprecedented high energy costs and while Government initiatives are in place to tackle the short-term implications, the future is in wind, solar and hydrogen energy production and we are making rapid progress now.
“Finally, we are amending the planning rules so that you won’t need to apply for planning permission to erect solar panels. Supports, grants and payment for excess energy will make this cost efficient as possible. Fossil fuels prices are volatile and only likely to increase, we need to prioritise home-produced renewable energy. In the first instance, www.seai.ie is an excellent source of information on all relevant grants, and I would highly recommend anyone considering installing solar panels or those with them already installed to look into the Clean Export Guarantee, concluded Deputy Matthews.
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