We are here to celebrate five years of achievement by Sustainable Energy Ireland and to set out together on the road to a new energy future. The last five years have been marked by many ground breaking initiatives, led by SEI, which give us a good basis for moving ahead. The hall mark of the next five years will be accelerated and intensive delivery of change to ensure a truly sustainable energy future for Ireland.
Making it happen is a huge challenge for us all – for Government, for Departments and Agencies, for the energy sector, for enterprise and for society as a whole. As Minister, I recognise the scale of the challenge. And I will lead from the front in meeting the challenge and in delivering on our collective ambition.
Five years ago, those who called for urgent new directions in energy policy and climate change were often seen as utopians or prophets of doom.
Five years on, Ireland, the European Union and most world economies have woken up to the need for radical action to deliver sustainable and secure energy supply and to tackle climate change. The global energy outlook has changed fundamentally.
Today’s event is very timely and very apposite. I am here with you for the first time as Minister with the primary responsibility to deliver that new energy future. I look forward to working with SEI and all the energy players as well as my Government colleagues to ensure that we make this happen together.
The Programme for Government is unequivocal in its commitment to securing both long term energy security and a low carbon future for Ireland. In the Programme itself, we have set out wide ranging and ambitious actions across the three energy pillars.
Together with the actions laid out in the Energy Policy Framework, the Programme for Government is the road map to the new energy future. It is now about implementation – urgently, effectively and consistently.
SEI will have a front-line role in that implementation agenda, through the renewable energy and energy efficiency programmes already underway and which will be enhanced and refocused as needed to ensure we have the right supports and all the requisite research and data to underpin our programmes and policies.
We will give priority to promoting radical energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies across the transport and energy sectors as well as the economy and society generally. We have set high targets and new benchmarks for the built environment, for the electricity and heating and transport sectors and for the public sector.
The work of SEI will crucially underpin our delivery.
The best way to ensure the future competitiveness of the Irish energy sector itself is for us to become leaders rather than followers in the development of new renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency systems. Targeted investment in energy research , development and innovation , together with capacity building will be crucial to achieving critical mass and a position at the cutting edge of renewable energy technologies appropriate to the Irish situation.
The spin-off, in terms of jobs and economic activity in the energy sector, can be significant. We only have to look at Denmark to see what is possible. The benefits also for the wider economy and consumers of energy are self evident.
In the last two years alone we have seen a 157% increase in registered renewable energy products on the Irish market and an eleven-fold increase in the number of energy service providers. That shows the dynamic at work.
The level of pent –up demand among consumers for renewable solutions and energy efficiency has been vividly illustrated by the success of the Greener Homes Programme and other SEI initiatives.
We need to keep building on the momentum for change among consumers.
I am pleased to announce today that developers seeking funding under the House of Tomorrow programme will now be required to ensure that energy efficiency levels are at least 60% above current building regulation standards.
This reflects the Government’s intention to move to the 60% target through the revision of the building regulations. SEI will thus be in the vanguard of delivery on the Government’s target.
Energy costs are top of the agenda for Irish business. Radical improvements in energy efficiency in all economic sectors are a key part of the solution, together with alternative renewable energy supplies which are not as susceptible to price fluctuations. Our focus must be to stimulate and meet the demand by business and consumers for support to achieve energy savings and switch to cleaner and more efficient energy technologies.
SEI’s industry programmes have already resulted in significant savings in CO2 emissions – the equivalent of removing the emissions from 57,000 homes.
These savings will be further complemented by the ReHeat and CHP grants programmes, which have already received almost 200 applications for funding. New priority focus on the needs of SMEs is a critical part of SEIs work programme from now. The National Energy Efficiency campaign ‘Power of One’ has a vital complementary part to play in raising awareness across business sectors and consumers.
As we mark the first five years of SEI achievement, we can look forward to an even more intensive and successful period ahead. SEI has a key part to play in the Government’s stated intention to transform the energy landscape. All the energy stakeholders have responsibilities and roles to play. I look forward to building that new energy future with you all.
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