Renewable Energy Generation
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-22
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Roderic O'Gorman (GP), Dublin West

I wish to raise an issue which I know is causing concern for the thousands of households across Ireland that have invested in solar panels and have embraced the transition to clean energy. Recent media reports have suggested the clean export guarantee, the payment introduced by the Green Party and received by households for excess renewable energy exported back to the grid, could be weakened, reduced or ultimately phased out entirely in the years ahead.
The clean export guarantee recognises a really simple principle, which is that if households export clean electricity to the grid that electricity has a value and households should be paid fairly for it. Over the past number of years families right across the country have made significant investments in rooftop solar. Many did so because they wanted to reduce their carbon footprint. Many more did so because they wanted to reduce their electricity bills and play an active role in Ireland's transition to clean energy. These households have responded to Government policy. They have responded to national climate objectives. They invested what was often thousands of their own money, often alongside SEAI supports, on the understanding there would be a fair and stable framework for microgeneration. Government policy went even further in encouraging those households. When in government the Green Party encouraged another initiative, the tax exemption for microgeneration of electricity, which is currently valued at €400 per year.
Any change to the rules after people have made this investment would send entirely the wrong signal. It would undermine people's confidence in microgeneration going forward. At a time when we need significantly greater development of rooftop solar, community energy generation and distributed renewable generation, the last thing we should be doing is causing uncertainty. Every unit of electricity exported by a household solar installation reduces demand for fossil fuel generation, contributes to energy security and supports our climate targets.
I believe the existence of the feed-in tariff acts as a real incentive to people looking to install solar. It gives greater security to people making an upfront payment on panels that investment they are making in clean energy is the right one. The electricity exported from a family home does not suddenly become worthless because it is generated on a rooftop panel rather than in a large-scale facility. Suppliers benefit from this electricity and the wider system benefits from it, and consumers who invest in generation infrastructure should receive an equitable return.
I would like confirmation from the Minister of State this evening that there are no plans to wind down the clean export guarantee payment in the coming months and years and that the Government will retain its commitment to it going forward.
To provide greater clarity and reassurance to households that undertake microgeneration, can the Minister of State confirm that the tax exemption for the microgeneration of electricity, currently valued at €400 per year, will be maintained as part of budget 2027?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-22