Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy what financial support does his Department provide to domestic properties to assist the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
Minister for the Economy: There is currently no financial support available from my Department for homeowners who wish to install solar panels or wind turbines.
The Energy Strategy for Northern Ireland, The Path to Net Zero Energy (December 2021), sets the policy direction for increasing renewable energy generation to achieve a target of at least 80% of electricity consumed in Northern Ireland coming from a diverse range of renewable sources by 2030 (target established by the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022).
Essential to meeting this target will be establishing a support scheme(s) for renewable electricity and, under the Energy Strategy Action Plan for 2022, officials are currently considering appropriate options with a view to public consultation by the end of 2022.
In the interim, homeowners may wish to seek independent advice on domestic renewables and other energy matters from organisations such as the Energy Saving Trust, the Centre for Sustainable Energy or Citizen’s Advice.
ENDS
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