Individuals, farmers, businesses and community groups across Ireland will be able to sell renewable electricity into the grid under a new microgeneration scheme being developed by Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan.
The Microgeneration Support Scheme (MSS) is being designed to provide a route to market for citizens and communities. This will allow them to generate their own renewable electricity, for example from solar panels on their roofs, and receive a fair price when they sell the excess into the grid.
The Scheme design also seeks to establish the ‘renewables self-consumer’ model of energy generation and consumption in Ireland, to support community and citizen participation in the transition to a net-zero carbon economy and to contribute to achieving our 2030 targets for renewable energy.
Speaking recently, Minister Ryan explained that this scheme “will allow people and communities to become active participants in the energy transition. By producing and selling their own electricity citizens, farmers, business owners and community organisations can save on their energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint. I urge interested parties to get involved and have their say.”
Micro-generators will primarily serve their own consumption needs but will be able to receive a payment for excess electricity exported back to the grid. The scheme will ensure that there is equity in what supports are offered and how the cost of support is distributed. As part of the design, micro-generators must have first met minimum energy efficiency requirements for their properties.
The public is invited to take part in a consultation on how the scheme will operate; the consultation is part of a broader movement towards greater citizen involvement in energy policy, committed to in the 2020 Programme for Government.
It will remain open until 5.30pm on 18 February 2021 and all responses should be submitted to publicconsultation_mss@decc.gov.ie.
Submissions should include entity or individual details, address and email address, the section of the consultation document the issue or comment relates to, and a suggestion on what amendments should be made to the section ‘with an emphasis on improving scheme deliverability’.
Following consideration of submissions, a final design will be submitted for Government approval, with implementation targeted for July 2021. Further details and documents are available at https://tinyurl.com/yxrdkxhn.