The Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) anticipates the new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) will be rolled out and fully operational by early next year.
The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, however, says it could be later this year, when the much anticipated renewable electricity scheme makes it mark on home ground.
But what is this scheme – and most importantly – who benefits from it?
According to the department the scheme will provide support to renewable electricity projects in Ireland through community participation and the provision of pathways and supports for them to participate in those projects.
A department spokesperson said that RESS auctions will be held at frequent intervals throughout the lifetime of the scheme.
This, he added, will allow Ireland to take advantage of falling technology costs, and also by not auctioning all the required capacity at once, higher costs for consumers will not become ‘locked in’.
The first RESS auction in 2019 will deliver ‘shovel ready’ projects, reducing the gap to 2020 and assisting in the early delivery for our trajectory to 2030.
The spokesperson added: “All projects looking for support under the new RESS will need to meet pre-qualification criteria including offering the community an opportunity to invest in and take ownership of a portion of renewable projects in their local area. A national register of community benefit payments will also be established.”
Wind farm development
IWEA’s head of communications and public affairs Justin Moran says the scheme will allow for a new planning system with regard to wind farm developments.
He also pointed to the fact that under the terms and conditions of the scheme communities across the land will be afforded the opportunity to publicly participate, and become involved, in renewable energy infrastructural developments in their localities.
Moran is adamant that it will be a very successful scheme once it is implemented.
Under the new system planning permission is required; a grid connection offer is made and then there is an auction where you go up against onshore wind, solar and everybody else.
He continued: “One of the proposals in the new scheme will be for every wind farm developer to offer the people in the community an investment opportunity. In fact, everyone can invest in it.”
Good practice
Moran says there are two “models” in relation to this ethos that IWEA has been looking at.
One is referred to as the ‘Scottish model’ and the other – which focuses on public investment in a project – is called ‘crowd-funding’.
“What we call the Scottish model is where you have an organisation funded by the state that will assist the community in which a wind farm is being built,” he continued.
“They will provide money for financial advice, legal advice and technical advice; they will talk everyone through the process and then the community group comes together, raises the money and purchases 10% of the wind farm.”
Moran went on to say that those involved also stand to benefit from the profits over a longer period of time.
Where the challenge will be, he adds, is in having the necessary supports in place to help communities.
Abundance and clarity
Meanwhile, the second model – crowd-funding – is one that has become increasingly popular in the UK.
Moran warns though that Ireland may not just be ready for an initiative of this scale because of the level of work that has to be done to ensure that the community benefits and not the individual.
Crowd-funding is all about investment and everyone can become involved.
Moran continued: “In the UK you have a company called Abundance, for example, and if you go onto their website you can have a look around and then decide what you want to invest in. As little as £5 can be invested and everybody has a little share in the project.”
He says the big challenge here is that the benefit goes to the individual and not to the community.
“One of the challenges with this model is that the benefit is to the individual and not the community; I prefer the Scottish model myself – I’m not sure that there is the level of understanding towards communities in this country that is necessary with the crowd-funding model,” Moran concluded.