I will give a little context in advance. It is in the same vein as Deputy Daly’s Topical Issue in relation to the cost of living. The current electricity pricing is between 28 cent and 37 cent per kilowatt hour, including VAT, and the night time rate is 14 cent. If we take an average annual consumption of 4,200 kilowatt hour, that works out at about an average of €1,700 per annum, equating to €142 per month. However, I think every Member of this House and every consumer outside this complex is well aware that in many cases, the prices are approximately 50% higher and at least €200 per month and upwards. The majority of our renewable energy is now wind derived but solar renewable energy is fast on the catch-up. In the past five years, my home county of Meath has nearly become the solar renewable energy capital. It is probably on a par with Cork. It is certainly is well up there. Areas such as Batterstown, Culmullen, Duleek, Kilbride, Ratoath, Kells and Kentstown either have solar developments planning approved or pending with gas peaking plants and battery storage facilities at planning phase or some point along the line. I have some concerns which have been reiterated to me by residents. The first is the absence of the second land use review. Then there is the solar development guidelines. Currently, planners have no reason to refuse a valid planning application but the residents are very concerned about a number of things, including the food producing integrity of these soils; the impact on visual amenity and heritage of these commercial developments and most recently; and, most importantly, their personal community and business concerns about the price of energy given that it is now majority renewable energy. We know from EnergyCloud that there is a surplus of renewable energy. Its report for 13 months to 31 January shows there is an availability of approximately 1,500 GW, which equates to €559 million of monetary value that could be redistributed. The Minister of State might ask where I am going with all of this but hopefully it will make sense. I will factor in the Irish Grain Growers group. It has flagged the availability of tillage land with me over the past two to three years. That is land its members would have leased for native local grain growing and food production. That land availability is diminishing because that land is being sold and leased for solar energy production. In those areas I have highlighted, there has been a pattern of leases being sold on after planning or after the renewable energy auctions. If you are trying to compile a risk benefit or take a cost benefit analysis approach, in a time of severe grid fragility and price volatility, what impact, if any, the transfer of leases from solar development may have on the price of renewable energy for domestic consumers if we take that gap between the average energy price and the real energy price?

Sentiment score: 0.24

I thank the Minister of State. I always say here that every day is a school day. The €11 million PSO levy being returned is most welcome. I do not wish to be cheeky but I would welcome a response from the Minister of State on whether the transfer of leases has or does not have an impact on price? I appreciate that the Minister of State is deputising. I highlighted the average price versus the real price and the gap in the middle. I know the patterns in my area. In one instance, a farm was bought by a business person on the open market, and there was no problem there. The planning application was successful. Post-planning the parcel of land was sold on with a margin. I am not naïve in that my background is small business and margin is critically important. However, if you add a margin at various stages which, to the best of my knowledge, do not have a safeguard or control, you could end up with the retail price at the end having that factored in. For something as essential as energy, that is something that really needs to be looked into. Again, I would draw attention to the EnergyCloud report for the 13 months where there is €550 million of spare renewable energy that would be most welcome to those 330,000-odd households which are in energy arrears. That should be investigated. There should also be an investigation into where that differential may arise.

Sentiment score: 0.22