Minister Hackett denies micro generation policy is 'failing miserably'

Laois Minister Pippa Hackett has denied the micro generation system where people get paid for electricity is failing miserably. 

Earlier this week Laois TD Carol Nolan recently said constituents had expressed disappointment that the Micro Generation Support Scheme is still not available despite being announced in December. 

Deputy Nolan explained that farms and families who had invested in solar panels had yet to see any return as they weren’t receiving any payment for the electricity being fed into the national grid. 

Minister Hackett said that  “homeowners can be earning credit for the excess energy their solar panels are generating now. This credit could convert to a back payment from June onwards, depending on which utility contract a homeowner has.”

“The Clean Export Guarantee will allow customers with registered microgeneration devices to sell any excess electricity back to Ireland's electricity grid in return for payment. Energy companies are currently announcing their tariffs.

Some energy companies have confirmed the payment for excess energy, not used by the household, will be back dated to 15th February when the Clean Export Guarantee came into effect,” she said.   

The Minister called this a win-win for homeowners and renewables. She referenced the address of Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the joined Houses of the Oireachtas and said that microgeneration of renewables was one step in shutting down Russia’s fossil fuel funding stream.

“It allows families reduce utility bills while being paid for excess energy. And people can also avail of the SEAI grants to help install Solar PV panels on homes,” said Minister Hackett. 

However, she mentioned her frustration that similar schemes for non-domestic users, such as schools and farms, is taking longer. One barrier is the current need for planning permission for solar panels, over a given threshold, on roofs, she said.

“This is something my Green Party colleagues here in the Seanad have worked hard to progress, and I hope the Department of Housing will move to complete this legislative change.

In my own constituency, some public representatives have tried to claim the entire policy is failing miserably. This is disappointing, and it is untrue. We will solve the issue, and we have proven we can do it with the domestic scheme. I look forward to hearing the same public representatives herald Green policy when payments begin for non-domestic users in the coming months.”