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Repsonse to National Mitigation Plan

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IRISH SOLAR ENERGY ASSOCIATION

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Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 GeneralComment..................................................................................................................................2CommentonAnnexQuestions..............................................................................................................3

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Appendix: Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Benefits of Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ClimateChangeandEnergySecurity......................................................................................................5Jobcreation............................................................................................................................................6AgricultureandBiodiversity...................................................................................................................8ComplementtoWind.............................................................................................................................8EconomicandSocialBenefits...............................................................................................................11

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Introduction

ThedevelopmentoftheNationalMitigationPlan(NMP)representsanimportantstepinIreland’stransitiontoalowcarboneconomyandachievingresiliencetoclimatechange.AsthetradeassociationforsolarPVdevelopers,theIrishSolarEnergyAssociation(ISEA)representsover90companiesthatconstituteadynamicandgrowingsolarsectorinthiscountry;ISEAwelcomestheopportunityrespondtothedevelopmentprocessoftheNMP.

ISEAacknowledgesthatclimatechangeisaglobalpublicpolicychallengethateachnationmustaddressthrougharangeofpolicyresponsesthatsupportclimateresilience.Astheimpactsofclimatechangearebroadrangingfromenvironmentaldegradation,flooding,extremetemperatures,extremeweathertohumanhealth,thereisaneedforpolicyresponsesthatmultiplebenefits(IPCC2014;UNHabitat,2016).Inourview,climatechangeandenergypolicythatfocusesonreducingIreland’sdependencyonfossilfuelsfortransportation,electricityandheatingiscriticalforclimatechangemitigationandadaptation.Asenergyisanaspectofdailylife,policythatsupportstheadoptionofarangetorenewableenergytechnologies(i.e.solar,wind,biomass,hydro,tidal)notonlyaddressesgreenhousegasemissions,itwillincreaseIreland’senergysecurityandresilience.Further,therewillbemultiplebenefitsforIrelandsuchas:contributingtohighqualitylivingbyprovidingcitizenswithcleansourcesofenergy,growingandgreeningtheIrisheconomy,andattractingmultinationalcompaniesthatprioritiseenvironmentalconservationintheircorporatestrategy(itisworthnotingthattheCityofVancouver(Canada)hasintakingactiononclimatechangeisattractinginternationalcompaniesbecauseofitsfocusondoingwhatisrightfortheenvironmentandcreatingtheconditionsnecessaryforbusinessestobegreen,environmentallyfocusedandenergyefficient).

ISEArecognisesthepotentialforsolarinIreland,notonlyasameansformeetingIreland’srenewableenergyandelectricitytargets,butasalong-termsustainableandcleanoptionwithnumerousbenefitsforIrelandeconomically,sociallyandenvironmentally.Therefore,throughthissubmissionwewouldliketohighlightthevalueofsolarinaddressingclimatechangeinIrelandthroughmitigation.

Response General Comment TheproposednationalmitigationplanwhilstitclearlylaysoutthechallengesofmeetingourclimatechangetargetsattheEUandInternationallevels,theresponsesproposedtotheachievethesetargetsarelackingindirectionandinnovation.Thereisnoclearindicationastohowgovernmentintendstotackletheeverydayslowburnimpactsofclimatechange,aswellasthelongtermandsuddenimpactsandbuildresiliencetoclimatechange.

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Resiliencetoclimatechangeisaboutcreatinga‘netofpolicies’(Rodin,2014),suchthatresponsestoclimatechangeriskssuchasflooding,domorethanpreventflooding.Forexample,usinggreeninfrastructuretosoakupwaterrunofftoreducepluvialflooding,thissimultaneouslycouldprovideasourceoflocalfoodifisanurbangardenand/orbearecreationsite.

Inthecontextofenergyandenergyefficiency,itisnotjustaboutrenewableenergysourcesthatarecosteffectivetoday,butaboutfutureproofing.Irelandneedsadiverseandsecureenergymixthatemploysallsourcesofrenewablesthatarecurrentlyavailabletodayandthosethatwillbeavailable5,10and20years.SolarPVisnotconsideredinNMPasamitigationmeasure.Yet,itisamitigationtoolthatcanbedeployedtodayandtokickstartIreland’sprogresstoalowcarbonresilientfuture.Critically,itisarenewableenergytechnologythatcanbeintegratedintothebuiltenvironmentonrooftopsandwalls;aswellasbedeployedaslargeprojectsinruralIrelandandsupplyenergytoruralcommunitiesalongwithothereconomic,socialandenvironmentalbenefits.Assuch,solarPVisbothaninterimmitigationmeasurewhiletheGovernmentdetermineshowtodiverseIreland’senergyportfolio,andalongtermadaptationmeasureaspartofIreland’sresilientanddiverserenewableenergysupply.

Comment on Annex Questions Multipleconsultations(i.e.NationalAdaptationFramework,RenewableEnergySupportScheme)havebeenundertakenwiththegovernmentseekingresponsestoanswertworelatedquestions,‘whatshouldthegovernmentdotorespondandaddressclimatechangebasedonyourthoughtsasthecitizen?”and‘howshouldgovernmentstimulatecitizens,andprivatesectorbusinessestoact?”Ultimately,Governmentneedstocreatetheconditionsthatenablecitizens,businessesandotherkeygovernmentstakeholderstodevelopandimplementactionsthatwillmakeIrelandresilienttoclimatechange.

HowdoestheGovernmentcreateconditionstoachievethis?Onewayisthroughreformofcurrentpoliciesandtheintroductionofincentives.However,additionalwaysemergefromthequestionsposedintheAnnex,whichsuggestthatthereisalackofawarenessamongstpeopleinIrelandofclimatechangeanditsimpacts.

Inreality,thereareabreadthanddepthprojectsbeingundertakenbycivilsociety,privatesectorandacademiatoaddressthekeyclimatechangechallengesfacingIrelandfromenergy,energyefficiencyandflooding,toairqualityandfoodsecurity.ThechallengeforeachofthesestakeholdersisnavigatingthelegislationandregulationlaidoutbyCentralGovernmentandidentifyingtherespectivedepartmentsandsemi-stateagenciesresponsibleforeachtoscaleuptheirwork.

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Forexample,theprocessundertakenbyISEAlobbyinggovernmentforconsiderationofsolarPVinrenewableenergypolicyhighlightsthechallengeofproposingtheinclusionofarenewableenergytechnologythatwilldiversifyIreland’senergysupplyandenabletheGovernmenttomakeenergypolicyresilient.AtaminimumISEAhasengaged10withdifferentstateandsemistatedepartmentstounderstandtheviewsofgovernment,tolearnofthebarriersandchallenges,andtoproposesolutionstothechallengesofintegratingrenewablesintoIreland’senergypolicy;thesechallengesincludethegrid,planning,biodiversityandagriculture,landrights,andcommunityengagement.AsmentionedISEArepresentsover90memberswithastrongunderstandingofeconomic,socialandenvironmentalvalueofrenewableenergy;however,onememberalone(forexampleasmallcompany),wouldnothavethecapacityandtheresourcestonavigatethemazeoflegislationandregulation,whilstsustainingtheirbusinesswhichhopestocontributetoIreland’sresilience.

Thusthisexample,illustratestwokeywaystheGovernmentcanworktowardsencouragingtheuptakeofmitigationactionsbycivilsociety,businessandgovernmentitself.ThefirstistofollowthroughonmakingtheNMP(andallsubsequentclimatechangepolicy)atrulyallofgovernmentpriorityandapproach,suchthatalldepartmentsknowandunderstandhowtheirworkimpactsonIreland’sresiliencetoclimatechange.ThiswillsendaclearmessagetoIrishcitizens,theEUandtheinternationalcommunitythatrespondingtoclimatechangeisapriorityoftheIrishGovernment.Secondly,toattractandincentiviseIrishbusinessesfocusedonrenewableenergy,energyefficiencyandproducingsustainablegoodsandservices,provideclearandconciseinformationonrelevantlegislationandregulation;andcreatepoliciesthatpromoteandmakethechoiceforclimatefriendlygoodsandserviceseasy.Forexample,classifyingsolarPVdevelopmentasagreeningmeasureundertheCAP,orincludingsolarPVingrantsforhomerenovation.(FurtherbenefitsofsolarPVarehighlightedintheAnnex).

Conclusion ISEAwelcomesthedevelopmentofaNationalMitigationPlanthattakesadvantageoftheeasewithwhichsolarPVcanbedeployedintheruralandurbancontexts,andcriticallymoveIrelandtodaytowardsitsfutureasalowcarbonclimateresilientcountry.Ultimately,climatechangepolicythatincorporatesrenewableenergytargetswillgeneratelongtermeconomic,socialandenvironmentalbenefitsforIrelandandcitizens,nowandinthefuture.

Finally,ISEAurgesGovernmenttocreatetheconditionsnecessaryforcivilsociety,businessesandgovernmenttomakeclimatechangeakeypriority.

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Appendix: Solar Solarenergyisarapidlydevelopingtechnologythathasminimalimpactontheenvironmentwithmaximumbenefits.Withthecorrectsupportithasthepotentialtobecomeoneofthemosteconomicallyviablerenewableenergysourceintheworld.

Todate,solarenergyhasbeenoverlookedinIrelandwiththefocusonotherrenewableenergysources,particularlywind.However,asmanyotherNorthernEuropeancountrieshaverecognised,solarisanimportantcomponentoftherenewableenergymixandprovidesasignificantopportunityforIrelandtoacceleratetherolloutofrenewableenergyatanaffordablecost,whilecreatingnewemploymentopportunities.

Benefits of Solar Thebenefitsofsolarextendbeyondtheprovisionofcleanenergyandelectricity.InthecontextofIreland’srenewableenergymix,solarPVisacomplementarysourceofenergytowind,andotherrenewabletechnologies.Thusitcontributestothecreationofadiverse,resilientandsecureelectricitysupply.ThisinturncreatesadditionalbenefitsforIrelandsuchas:enablingIrelandtoachieveitsEUtargetsforclimateandenergyin2020,andtheEU2030ClimateandEnergyFramework,creatingjobs,generatingincomeforfarmers,andsupportingeconomicandsocialgrowth.

Furtherwithconstantinnovations,stemmingfromdecreasingcostsoftechnologyandincreasinginterest,theapplicationsofsolarareconstantlyexpanding,rangingfromsolarpanelsinelectricvehicles,tosolarwallsonbuildings.SolarPVwillonlycontinueaddvaluetoeconomic,environmentalandsocialpolicyobjectivesoftheIrishGovernment.

Climate Change and Energy Security Addressingtheimpactsofclimatechangeisintertwinedwithenergysecurity.Itiswelldocumentedthatfossilfuelscontributetogreenhousegas(GHG)emissions,leadingtoincreasedairpollution,risingtemperaturesandsealevelrise,keyclimatechangeimpactsfacingIreland.Mitigatingtheseimpactsandreducingfossilfuelconsumptionwhilestimulatingeconomicgrowthandcreatingenergysecurityisanimmediateandlong-termpolicychallenge.

EnergysecurityhasbeenhighlightedtheSEAI,ESRIandIEAasacriticalenergypolicyissue.EnsuringthatIrelandhasasecureenergysupplynowandinthefutureiscriticaltothegrowthoftheIrisheconomy.CurrentlyIrelandisheavilydependentonfossilfuels,tomeetenergydemand.CriticallyIrelandsupports100%ofitsoildemandthroughimports;whileitsnaturalgasdemandimportdependencyisat95.3%1.LocalproductionofnaturalgasisanticipatedtobeincreasedwiththedevelopmentoftheCorribproject,whichis,however,

1IEA(2014).EnergySupplySecurity2014

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expectedtopeakwithin6years.AssuchIrelandisheavilydependentonenergyimportstomeetitsenergydemandsandwiththevolatilityofoilprices,energycostswillrisetherebycreatingmultiplethreatstoenergysecurityandeconomicsecurity.

SolarPVcanbequicklydeployedandcantherefore,contributetothesecurityofsupplybyprovidingpredictableandreliableindigenouselectricitygeneration.Thereby,increasingtheresilienceofIreland’senergysupply.

Job creation2 BeyondEUpoliciesandtargets,solarPVcontributesadditionalbenefitstoIreland’seconomyandsociety.TheInternationalRenewableEnergyAgency(IRENA)estimatesthat11.3directjobsarecreatedforeveryMWofsolarcapacityinstalled,11inconstructionand0.3inoperationsandmanagement.Therefore,therolloutof1,350MWofsolarcapacitywillcreate4,500directjobsinIreland.Asweexpecttherolloutofsolartocontinueaftergridparityisachievedin2023,theconstructionjobscanbeconsideredsustainableinthelongterm.Figure3,presentsthenumberofjobsthatpotentiallycouldbecreatedannually,basedonISEA’sprojectionsforthesolarmarket.Thenumberofindirectjobsandinducedemploymentgeneratedfromthesolarmarketisapproximately14,000jobs3.Basedontheprojectedcostsofsolar,figure2showstheannualcostperjobcreated.Thisincreasefrom€4,000to€12,000perjobbetween2017and2023,thenbeginstodecreaseasmorecapacityisrolledout.Between2023and2038,thecostperjobdecreasestozeroastheoverallcostofthesupportmechanismdecreases.

It shouldbenoted that thisanalysis focusespurelyon jobscreated todirectly service thedomestic Irish market. It is likely that further jobs will be created as international solarcompanies,seeingtheopportunities inthe Irishmarket,choosetoestablishtheEuropeanoperationshere.Inparticular,giventhecurrentwaveofEUprotectionism,itisbelievedthata number of Chinese solar module manufacturers are considering setting up a base inIreland. Further, jobswill be created indirectly, particularly in sectors that support solar.Lastly,therewillbeinducedemploymentstemmingfromtheincreasedpurchasingpowerofpeopleinvolvedinthesectorandcostsavingsthattrickledowntoIrishcitizens.

2ThecreationofemploymentandeducationopportunitiesisasignificantbenefitthatisdiscussedindetailinAppendix2ofthissubmission.3Indirectjobsiscalculatedassumingamultiplierof3.4

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Figure2.Annualcostperjobcreated

Figure3.NumberofJobsCreatedPerYear4

4Directjobsemploymentfactor11forconstructionfor1year,0.3foroperationsandmanagementlifetimeofproject,indirectjobsmultiplierof3.4(RutovitzandHarris(2012).“CalculatingGlobalEnergySectorJobs:2012Methodology”.InstituteforSustainableFutures.

-€4,000.00

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Agriculture and Biodiversity AslargescalegroundmountedSolarPVfarmsrequirelargelandarea,themostcommonsourceoflandtobeusedisbarren/degradedagriculturallandinrurallocations.ThecostsofusinglandforactivityotherthanagriculturalactivitiesisoftencitedintheargumentsagainsttheinstallationofsolarPVfarms.However,researchhasdemonstratedthattherearebenefits.DuringthelifetimeorasolarPVfarm,thelandcanbeusedsimultaneouslyforarangeofprofitableactivitiessuchassheepgrazing,bee-keeping,andtheproductionofhighvaluecropssuchaspumpkins,asparagusandcut-flowers.

SolarfarmsalsoSolarPVprojectsprovideanincreased,diversifiedandstablesourceofincomeforlandowners,encouragingthenextgenerationtokeepfarmingtheland:

• Rentalpaymentsover25years(RPIindexed)• Cheaperelectricity• Effectivehedgeagainstvariabilityinannualfarmincomeandenergyprice

SolarPVhasthepotentialtobenefitandenhancebiodiversity,inthecontextofagriculturalland regeneration (and in peat-land regeneration). Simplemeasures and an appropriateecologicalorbiodiversityplancanensurethatthebiodiversityofasiteisenhancedoverthelifetimeoftheproject.Plannedandconstructedcorrectly,solarhasaverylighttouchonthelandwithlittleornoconcrete being used. Mounting systems are friction piled using a simple process that is100% reversible.With correct systemdesignaround95%of the landused remainsundergrass sward and is available for agricultural production or biodiversitymanagement. Thissward can be managed in a manner that permits differing heights, and benefits frommicroclimateconditionsthatenhancesbiodiversity.Solarfarmsprovideanopportunityforgroundnestingbirds,aswithinsiteswildflowersmeadowandgrasslandscanprovidevaluablenestingsitesforspecieslikethecurlewandcorncrake,twospecieswho’snestinghabitatshavebeendegradedduetolandchanges.Thesegroundnestingbirdsareprotectedfrompredationwithinasolarfarmasthesiteislikelytobefenced.

Lastly,studiesofthebenefitslandregenerationhaveshownknock-oneffectsinthetourismandrecreationsectorduetotheincreasedbiodiversity.AssuchthereispotentialforruraleconomiestoexperiencegrowthandnewopportunitieswiththeinstallationofsolarPVfarms.

Complement to Wind Achallengewithrenewableenergytechnologiesisthedependenceonthesourcefromwhichenergyisderived.Generationofwindenergyisdependentonthepresenceofwind,andsolarisdependentonultravioletradiationfromthesun.Asstandalonetechnologies,theirreliabilityisnotaguarantee.However,asa“basketofgoods”renewableenergy

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technologiescomplementeachotherandincreaseoverallreliability.InthecaseofIreland,solarisacomplementarygoodtowind.

Astheoutputofasolarplantisseasonal,itcanbepredictedveryaccuratelyonamonthlybasis.Additionally,byitsnature,itsoutputispredictableonanintradaybasis,withpeakoutputoccurringduringthemiddleoftheday,whendemandisrelativelyhigh.Asthefiguresbelowshow,windoutputpicksupattheendoftheday,assolaroutputdeclinesandelectricitydemandpeaks.Giventhecomplementarities,abalancedmixofsolarandwindtechnologies,willfacilitateareductionintheamountofbaseloadgenerationrequiredfromfossilfuelsources.

Figure4

IntradaySolarGeneration

IntradayWindGeneration

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Figure5.IntradayDemandforElectricity

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Economic and Social Benefits Theeconomicbenefitsofsolarextendbeyondjobcreation.Thereisagrowingdemand,especiallybyandformultinationalcompanies(MNC),toengageingreenpractices.Theuseofcleanenergyisakeyfactorinthis.MNCs,suchasGoogleandApple,havedemonstratedthatcleanenergyisakeycorporategoalandthereforehaveshiftedtowardsusingrenewablesfortheirdatacentres.Critically,MNCsarealsodemandingthatthecitiesinwhichtheylocateconsistentlyprovidehighqualitylivingenvironments.

TherearesocialbenefitsassociatedwithsolarPVaswell.Forexample,IntheUKtheDepartmentofEnergyandClimateChange(2014)notethatsomelandlordsthathaveinstalledsolarPVontheirhousingstockalreadyandpassedontheenergycostsavingstothetenants.ThishassocialbenefitsinhelpingtoalleviatefuelpovertyandspreadsthebenefitsofsolarPVacrossthesocialspectrum.DomesticRooftopPVempowersconsumerstotakecontrolandinfluencetheirenergysecuritywhichwouldbewelcomedbythewiderpublic5.

ForIreland,solarPVcanbeappliedinasimilarmanner,andenablethegovernmenttosustainablymeettheenergyandheatingdemandsofvulnerablepopulations.Further,communityownershipofsolarPVprojectsnotonlyprovidesenergybutincome;aswellasaprofitablemeansofincorporatingandpromotingthesolarPVthatnotonlybenefitsindividuals,butcommunitiesandgovernment,byreducingcostsandequitablysharingthebenefits.Moreover,theshifttosolarPVforelectricitygenerationwillbestrengthenedbythestrongpublicacceptanceofsolar,whichhasbeenshowntohave80%ofpublicsupportintheUKduetoitsminimalnegativeimpact.

5DECC(2014)UKSolarPVStrategyPart2:DeliveringaBrighterFuture

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/302049/uk_solar_PV_strategy_part_2.pdf