The Micro-Renewable Energy Federation (MREF) has welcomed fresh commitments to solar energy development from a government minister but said that they must be matched with a billion euro in funding.
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan stated at the Green Party Conference on Saturday (November 27) that he wants to power the entire country with solar energy on sunny days by 2025.
MREF chairperson Pat Smith said this commitment is long overdue, as Ireland is “at least a decade” behind other countries when it comes to the rollout of solar PV.
He also said that the government must be realistic about how much it would cost to meet this target.
“While Minister Ryan’s commitment to solar energy is very welcome, it runs the risk of being nothing more than a throwaway sound bite unless it is matched with a billion euro package of grant and premium tariff financial supports, to assist all stakeholders participating in the shift to renewables,” Smith said.
According to Smith, installation costs have risen by almost 30% this year, and these increases need to be reflected in the grant supports which are offered to applicants.
He said that a recent grant offer of €2,400 for system installations of up to 6kWp for small businesses left people “aghast”, and added that in addition, there were no grant supports offered for larger systems.
“This scheme needs to be radically revised and a new one introduced as the restrictions to it effectively excluded over 90% of potential applicants.
“Businesses need the equivalent of a 25-30% grant for solar installations up 100kWp and a 20-25% grant for larger installations up to 1MW.
“These grants supports must be easily accessible and be provided with the minimum administration burden,” he added.
According to the chairperson, there is enough roof space in the country, between homes, farm buildings and business premises, to meet minister Ryan’s 5,000MW target.
However, he said that grant and tariff supports for solar PV must be priotitised if that is to be reached.
“It is also critical that grid access agreements that allow export of surplus energy generation to the grid are made available to everyone who wants to install renewable energy, and that the costs of accessing this are reduced,” Smith concluded.