Energy

The reliable supply of safe, secure and sustainable energy is essential for the future prosperity of the Irish economy and society.

The energy policy of the next Government must ensure:

• Security: Ensuring reliable and secure energy supply into the future.
• Affordability: Keeping costs for households and businesses as low as possible.
• Sustainability: Planning for the decarbonisation of Ireland’s energy supply and an orderly transition to a carbon-free Ireland.
• Equality: Ensuring that the changes needed to achieve this benefit ordinary people and communities, and do not have a disproportionately negative effect on vulnerable groups or areas of the country.

Creating a more sustainable and secure future presents economic opportunities, as well as the possibility of Ireland becoming a net exporter of clean energy in the coming decade. Failure to thus-far capitalise on the potential of our own renewable energy resources has meant excessive exposure to imported energy crises. Ireland has thoroughly failed to meet its renewable energy targets, repeatedly missing emission reduction deadlines set by international agreements and facing significant fines. The current path cannot continue.

A combination of procrastination, lack of ambition, and a purposeful back-loading for decarbonisation actions to the end of this decade has ensured that the task facing the next government is a huge one. Sectoral Targets under the Climate Action Plan have set a target of 80 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. Failures by previous governments means that we need to do much more over the rest of the decade than would otherwise have been the case. However, our climate targets are now based in law.

The Social Democrats want to create a national energy policy that guarantees our future environmental, social and economic health and prosperity. In government we will strive to meet our commitment to a 51 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, and achieving net zero emissions by 2050 through credible, incremental national and sectoral plans, based on ambitious but attainable goals.

Further details are contained in the PDF document below, where we have re-posted the Energy section of our General Election 2024 manifesto.

Solar

The current energy crisis is showing us that those who are reliant on fossil fuels are most vulnerable to fluctuations in home energy costs. We need to make energy affordable and secure.

The Social Democrats’ Solar for All plan (more details in the document below) will mean:

• Free Solar Panels for all Warmer Homes Scheme-eligible homes.
• The Solar Grant for all other householdsis doubled from €1,800 to €3,600.
• A €1,000 grant for battery storage systems.
• Reduced red tape for Plug-in Solar Panels.
• Greater supports for Businesses to avail of solar technology.