The Government cannot continue to ignore the untapped potential of solar power to mitigate against ever-rising fuel and energy prices, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s energy spokesperson, made her comments following the publication of the Wholesale Price Index for April 2026 by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).<\/p>\n
She said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe figures are a stark reminder of the tough times ahead for energy consumers in this country. According to the CSO, all energy fuels increased by 32.6 per cent in April 2026 compared with the previous month \u2013 and were up 42.3 per cent between April 2025 and April 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cWholesale prices rose by 1.9 per cent in the month to April 2026 and were 18 per cent higher than April 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many energy price shocks do we need before the Government pivots away from our dependency on fossil fuels and invests heavily in solar power?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Social Democrats will continue to push for the adoption of our \u2018Solar for All\u2019 plan. Our proposal includes a doubling of grants for solar installation to \u20ac3,600, and the inclusion of solar panels in the \u2018Warmer Homes Scheme\u2019 to help families cut electricity costs by an average of \u20ac450 a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cUp to a million homes in Ireland are deemed suitable for solar panels and a nationwide installation programme could be rolled out relatively quickly. This is something we have been calling for since 2022, when the outbreak of war in Ukraine caused a major international energy shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would also ensure that new technology for plug-in solar could be rolled out quickly. This would enable small-scale solar panel PV systems, which can be plugged into standard household wall outlets, to be used in places like apartment balconies. The Department of Energy has been considering this issue for nearly two years now \u2013 with no timeline for when this review will be finalised.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is inexplicable that the Government continues to turn a blind eye to the potential of solar, despite the CRO\u2019s latest evidence of rising wholesale energy costs.”<\/p>\n
ENDS
\nMay 26, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Government cannot continue to ignore the untapped potential of solar power to mitigate against ever-rising fuel and energy prices, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s energy spokesperson, made her comments following the publication of the Wholesale Price Index for April 2026 by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[650,539,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cost-of-living","category-energy","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n