The Irish Solar Energy Association (ISEA) has outlined a series of critical priorities to support Ireland’s transition to a climate-neutral economy by 2050. These requests, aimed at the incoming Government, reflect the actions needed to ensure Ireland meets its renewable energy and climate goals.
Key Asks:
Adequate Renewable Energy Supports
Create and maintain grants, tax breaks, and pricing mechanisms to reduce energy bills and ensure that everyone is included and supported in the clean energy transition.
Support for the Rooftop Solar Sector
Continue to scale rooftop solar safely and at pace, placing consumers at the heart of the transition while ensuring regulatory compliance and safety standards.
Electricity Network Capacity and Planning
Plan, build, operate, and create enough connections to the electricity network to support the long-term electrification and decarbonisation of our system.
Establish a Connections Liaison Group involving industry, system operators, and regulators to address connection issues in real-time.
Develop frameworks to facilitate hybrid renewable energy sites, private electricity lines, and investment in energy storage solutions.
Develop frameworks to allow privately owned electricity lines (where appropriate) to enable system operators to maintain focus on strategic planning of the electricity network.
Planning System Reform
Implement and resource an effective planning system that sends clear signals to industry, enabling efficient development of renewable projects and timely delivery of clean energy targets.
Agrivoltaics
Create a framework that supports combining agriculture with renewable energy, ensuring farmers are prioritised and food security is maintained during the transition to carbon neutrality.
Future of the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS)
Develop a successor to the RESS, providing a long-term framework to sustain Ireland’s utility-scale renewable energy development.
Skills and Workforce Strategy
Develop a 2050 carbon-neutral skills strategy to upskill the workforce, ensuring the solar sector is prepared to drive Ireland’s transition to a clean energy economy.
Long-term Renewable Energy Vision
Set Ireland’s long-term renewable energy goals, integrating energy storage, smart grids, and innovative financing to future-proof Ireland’s energy system and achieve decarbonisation and ensure it has sufficient underlying resourcing.
Maintaining Key Structures and Prioritising Funding
ISEA calls on the next Government to:
Ensure the ICNF (Ireland’s Climate Neutral Fund) remains focused on its original purpose of supporting climate-related measures, prioritising retrofits and energy infrastructure over non-climate expenditures.
Maintain and enhance the Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce (ARET), which has been pivotal in driving renewable electricity projects forward.
"Solar energy is not just about clean electricity—it’s about creating jobs, supporting communities, and safeguarding Ireland’s future," said Dr. Eva Barrett, ISEA’s Director of Policy and Regulation. "This manifesto outlines the steps the next Government must take to ensure we meet our climate goals while delivering real benefits for society."
For a complete outline of ISEA’s recommendations and further details on each initiative, view the full document here.
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