Barry Heneghan: Push for Rooftop Solar, Private Wires, Grid Fixes

Thank you, Seán Comhairle, Cathaoirleach. I was listening to everyone, I'm not going to say anything, but what I don't understand is that two weeks ago the opposition was asking to collapse the government, where no financial measures could be passed, and now they're asking for a mini-budget. We're in highly, very unpredictable times. We need to have a stable government. So how could any financial measures have been passed if the government had been collapsed like he's wanted? Well, I'm asking you, how could there, after a general election, a general election, I didn't interrupt you, I didn't interrupt you, a general election for four, I didn't interrupt you either, a general election for four weeks, thank you, thank you very much, Chair, if there was a general election for four weeks, three weeks, then during the count, the formation of government, there would have been a long period where nothing could be passed. So is this performative? Because I want to show solutions. Yes, the government has done 755, 775 million, but they can introduce more supports, Minister, and in the aspect of the 2024 plug-in solar report, from a PQ I submitted, there were six key stakeholders who were negative against it. However, I've looked for those consultations, and I want to see why would they be against a system that can be bought in a supermarket, in an IKEA, in Little Raleigh, and installed at home, in conjunction with an inverter, battery, this will benefit the people. Yes, I welcome the SAI grants. However, the cost of return and the instant relief that this will help, particularly those in social and affordable housing, is way bigger. I understand the long-term returns from rooftop solar, and I understand that it is more of a durable system. However, immediately, my constituency apartment dwellers would like to see a reduction in their energy bills. And the savings from this, if the government invested in a giant scheme where they both buy these systems, would be from the energy savings. Because if you both buy these systems, you get a reduced rate. If you gave a grant out to people to buy them as well, then you would see a clear reduction in their bills immediately. And I would continue to work with Minister O'Brien, and I welcome Minister Dooley and Minister O'Brien and yourself for complementing and working with me constructively on this. And I commend all the department staff who have been engaging with me, because we need to move fast on this. The UK is doing it. Germany is doing it. Other EU countries have done it. The US is doing it. And we need to act on it. That's one of the solutions, Minister. The current system of the clearinghouse in the Taoiseach's department for offshore renewable energy is welcomed. However, the key stakeholders that they're bringing in, Minister, need to have an action. Because if we're going to have a clearinghouse which has, and I've spoken to developers, I've spoken to wind developers, I've spoken to long duration energy storage, the people who are going to help us decentralise our grid, then we need to have action. For the private wires bill, I have my own bill that's separate to the government's bill. I really appreciate it, and it's a huge part of my priorities that it would be considered ahead of, because there's key aspects that need to be taken into consideration for the members of the public. A private wire that is installed must prove to not have a negative effect on the domestic cost per kilowatt hour for the Irish citizens. There should be a community benefit fund that is directly linked to the proportion of savings from a private company installing the wire to the local community. There should be clear systems in place of a timeline for when a private or a household wants to install a private wire, they have a timeline that can be done. This will save people money, Minister. It'll bring FDI, create jobs in Ireland. If you have that set timeline for foreign direct investment, we're creating the electricians, the labourers, the engineers, the admin staff, everything will be boosting. Now, I understand that there will be people who will be critical of it, and I welcome, and I really look forward to constructively working with that bill when it comes into the House. We need to be less dependent on global fuel markets for the cost of living, and that's where we have an opportunity to lead. Minister, I've said it before and I've said it again, the LNG price rose in 24 hours by 23%. If we are looking for energy security, we need to look at what's already on our island, what we can benefit from, which we know will continue to be there. Now, the sun, you don't see that going any time by a war in the Middle East that wasn't even started by our country, but started by a regime that is also being one of the most destructive that we've seen. So, if we can rely on sources that are going to be here, benefit the Irish people, then that will make us independent. When, during the World War, Churchill tried to force Dev's hand, we were energy dependent. If we're energy independent, this will make us the creators and guiders of our country. We're generating renewable energy and turning it off, Minister, and we're delaying projects due to grid constraints. When we're importing electricity, why? When we can do it ourselves here. It's not just inefficient, it's costing people money, the Irish people. So, we need to accelerate the renewable deployment, we need to accelerate the storage. The Climate and Energy Committee, which some of the deputies here are on, we're working constructively on that, but we need action. Secondly, we need to upgrade and modernize our grid, and I do welcome the announcement from government on the funding for grid developments. However, in conjunction to this, the private wires will work parallel and create a better system. By using smarter solutions, like long duration, like best batteries, like demand prods, we will help the cost of living directly. Third, we need to support local and direct energy infrastructure so that energy can be used where it's generated, reducing pressure on systems and lowering costs. Finally, if we need to electrify, because we are a petrostate, we need to become an electrostate, transport, heating, industry, that is how we should reduce our dependence on important fuels. And it's not just Tyrion, Minister, there's so many countries that we can follow in the EU, and it being EU Day, we should be using them. This is about getting electric buses on the road that can be put in easier with private wires, powering homes and cheaper energy, supporting workers, creating jobs, and making Ireland more competitive. We all saw the recent announcements, and we need to have open discussions about technologies, Minister. Nuclear, I will discuss it, I'll debate it, but I would love a cost-benefit analysis of the timeframe for when nuclear could be implemented compared to using the renewables that are here right now. I said it already, the Hinkley point in the UK is showing that costs have doubled, timelines have gone over, and delivery is complex. Minister, currently the universities in Ireland aren't teaching enough courses for nuclear physicists, they're not teaching enough courses for the technicians, for the labourers that would need to be installing these systems. So we don't have the workforce, we have to bring in them, and while I do agree that there's developments in SMR and there is some key aspects, we need to focus on what we can deliver right now. We currently have renewable projects waiting for grid connection. The critical infrastructure bill, the private wire bill, all these in conjunction together will speed up the gridlock and reduce costs. It's slowing down electrification and it's putting pressure on our households. So while we have the EU Presidency, we need to push for those systems that we always stood for, smarter energy systems and a shift towards cheaper electricity. I look forward to working constructively with you, Minister. I hope that this war does end soon and we don't need to bring out more financial measures. But if we do, and we're knocking on doors in my constituency, please God, members of the opposition can say how financial measures could have been given without a functioning government. Go raibh maith agat.