asked the Minister for Energy whether it is Government policy to develop alternative energy sources; and the total amount of public money spent on research and development in this area over the past year.

4.

asked the Minister for Energy the present position and the progress made to date in the development of soft energy sources.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 and 4 together.

I have on numerous occasions clearly outlined the Government's policy to develop new energy sources. I believe that energy from biomass, wind, and small hydro schemes is of particular relevance to the Irish situation in the immediate future and that in the longer term it may be possible to utilise solar energy, wave power, tidal and even geothermal sources. Research and development and demonstration work are in progress in all of these areas. Because of its very nature, research, development and demonstration work in any new area is a slow process and reporting on progress at frequent intervals is not appropriate. Nonetheless, I can provide details of recent developments.

Since I instructed my Department last year to develop a national wind power programme, a large number of proposals have been received and evaluated by the Department of Energy. The initial assessments led me to call for projects which would demonstrate the use of wind power at different types of locations where the wind power resource would be of different strength and quality, or could be harnessed for a particular purpose. These locations included an island site, a coastal-mountain site, midland site, a co-operative based project, and a project involving manufacturing industry. Following discussions with the relevant semi-State agencies including the ESB. An Foras Talúntais, the Meteorological Services and the Office of Public Works. ten projects have now been selected for funding — including those organised by the ESB. The final details of these projects are being worked out by officials of my Department in conjunction with those agencies. In addition to these demonstration projects which include electricity generation, grid connection, water pumping for both supply purposes and for drainage and water heating, work is well advanced on a programme to record wind data and analyse it in support of these projects.

I have given up-to-date information on the biomass programme in reply to a question on 27 January. There have been no significant recent developments on solar and wave power.

Actual figures on expenditure of public money by various bodies on alternative energy in 1980 are not yet available. However, estimates of expenditure, based on information available to my Department and to the National Board for Science and Technology indicate that in 1980 £1.02 million was set aside for this work.