This is a subscriber-only article
A public consultation has been launched on the design of a new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Denis Naughten.
This final public consultation is the next phase in the RESS design process.
The new scheme is being developed to incentivise the introduction of sufficient renewable electricity generation to meet national and EU-wide renewable energy and decarbonisation targets out to 2030.
The emerging principles of the scheme are now being presented for public consultation.
On the back of two studies, a range of policy measures have been identified and the Department is now seeking public feedback on these.
As the consultation paper presents the emerging approach to the design principles of the new RESS, Minister Denis Naughten strongly encourages all stakeholders to submit their views before the deadline of 3 November 2017.
Communities
The new scheme will be designed to increase community and citizen participation in the energy transition to a low carbon economy.
The consultation sets out a number of policy options to support both community-led projects and developer-led projects with material community involvement.
Micro-generation
In the course of preparing the new scheme, opportunities for micro and small-scale generation have been explored, according to the Department.
Financial mechanisms have been investigated, and the experience of other EU member states in reforming network structures and charges, dealing with cost burden-sharing and ensuring just compensation for self-generating consumers, have been examined.
The economic evidence indicates that meeting Ireland’s renewable electricity targets and renewable diversity ambitions are more cost-effectively achieved at large and medium scale. As a result, micro-generation has not been included directly under the emerging principles of the new RESS.
However, Minister Naughten remains committed to finding a correct mechanism for developing small- and micro-scale generation in Ireland.
To progress it, the minister has asked the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to facilitate a workshop on micro-scale generation on 17 October 2017.
Launching the public consultation, Minister Denis Naughten said: “The scale of transformation needed to meet our low-carbon transition targets cannot be overstated.”
If we are to reach those targets, we must harness the combined efforts of the entire country.
‘‘Industry, of course, has a key role to play in bringing to market technology options that deliver, at scale, solutions to minimise and manage costs for households and businesses alike.
‘‘The consultation for this emerging approach to the new scheme is now open. I strongly encourage all stakeholders to have their say on a developing policy of great importance, one which will impact us all.”
In response to the consultation, IFA renewables chair James Murphy said: “The IFA has, over a long number of years, called for farm families and the wider rural community to be at the centre of renewable energy development.
“This means ensuring rural Ireland is not just consulted by development companies, but is also listened to, and its concerns addressed.
“It also means providing opportunities for those living in the vicinity of renewable projects to become shareholders in such projects and to keep some of the value created in rural Ireland to support the local economy.”
However, the IFA has expressed concern about the lack of support in the proposed RESS for farm-scale and micro-energy production.
While Minister Naughten has asked the SEAI to look at micro-energy, the reality is that it will be a significant missed opportunity if farm-scale energy production is excluded from the RESS scheme.
“Every household must play its part in displacing their fossil fuel use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Supports for micro-energy production will facilitate this.
“The opportunity for farmers to use roofs of farm buildings to produce farm-scale solar renewable energy for their families must not be excluded and Minister Naughten should reconsider his proposal to exclude micro-energy from the RESS scheme.”
The proposed new RESS is a scheme that will provide financial support to renewable electricity projects in Ireland, as we have a national binding target of meeting 16% of its energy requirements from renewable energy sources by 2020.
This results in a 40% renewable electricity target, 10% in renewable energy in the transport sector and 12% renewable energy in the heating sector.
For 2030, the EU is proposing an EU-wide renewable energy target of 27%. There is a move away from binding national targets, but Ireland is expected to contribute to the EU-wide target (the current expectation is to remain at 40% of electricity from renewable sources (RES-E).
The new scheme is being designed to deliver this additional new renewable electricity, to allow Ireland to achieve and maintain its 40% RES-E as energy demand grows out to 2030.
SHARING OPTIONS: