The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is the main Government policy to help deliver on the ambition in the Climate Action Plan 2021 of up to 80% renewable electricity by 2030. The RESS supports communities in a variety of ways including through a separate category for community projects and a mandatory community benefit fund for every project supported in the scheme. Prior to RESS there was only one community-led renewable electricity project in operation – Templederry Community Wind farm in Tipperary. The community category in the first RESS auction selected seven projects for support which are listed in the table below:
Project Name
|
Location
|
Ballytobin (Solar)
|
Co. Kilkenny
|
Barnderg (Solar)
|
Co. Galway
|
Clooncon (Wind)
|
Co. Galway
|
Davidstown (Solar)
|
Co. Wexford
|
Dooleeg (Wind)
|
Co. Mayo
|
Lisduff (Solar)
|
Co. Mayo
|
Lurrig (Solar)
|
Co. Cork
|
The Climate Action Plan includes a target for at least 500MW of renewable electricity to be supplied by local community-based projects; to reach this target at least 100 community projects will be needed. In order to ensure such a pipeline of community projects I have allocated €2 million in capital funding in Budget 2022 for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). This funding will enable SEAI to deploy a range of capacity-building supports including an information warehouse, trusted intermediary and advisor services, and financial grant supports all of which are vital to support community-owned RESS projects in being built. Some of this framework of supports is already in place with additional elements to be delivered in early 2022.