27th February 2009
Every farm and house in South Cork can become a mini power plant
The Green Party’s candidate for the Carrigaline area of Cork County Council and Passage West Town Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly urged homeowners and farmers that produce their own electricity to sign up to a new scheme that will pay them for any spare energy they generate.
Under a programme announced today by the Green Party’s Energy Minister Eamon Ryan, there will be incentives for small-scale generation of electricity for domestic users with wind and water turbines, solar panels and combined heat and power units.
The first 4,000 people to sign up to the scheme with the ESB will get a guaranteed price of 19 cents per kWh. Non ESB customers will get 10c per kWh.
Cllr. Donnelly said: “Every farm and house in the region, particularly in rural areas, can now become a mini power plant. This long-demanded Green policy will help people to lower their energy costs and to fight climate change.
“The rules have changed. Before, you received your power from a central source and paid for it. Now you can generate for yourself and be paid for the excess you don’t use. We can use our abundant natural resources to bolster the economy, create skilled, lasting, green-collar jobs and reduce carbon emissions at the same time. This type of long-term investment with a guaranteed return, represents the best value for spending and lending.
“By generating power at home from clean, renewable sources, we will improve our energy independence and keep more money in Ireland. We do not want to be dependent on Russia, Saudi Arabia or even Britain for our energy needs; we can supply our own,” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.
Dominick Donnelly 
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