The Irish Government has launched a consultation on a new support scheme for microgeneration technologies.

While there are a number of grant schemes for the deployment of renewable energy technologies in Ireland, there is no support mechanism for microgeneration technologies, such as micro-solar, micro-wind, micro-hydro and micro-renewable combined heat and power (CHP) plants with a maximum electrical output of 50kW.

These microgeneration technologies would be designed to primarily service the self-consumption needs of the property where they are installed.

The proposed Microgeneration Support Scheme would allow consumers to generate their own renewable electricity – for example from solar panels on their roofs – and receive a “fair price” when they sell the excess to the grid.

The aim of the consultation, which is open until 18th February 2021, is to gather stakeholder feedback which may help to inform the delivery of the scheme.