Alternative energy development
Blaney asks about progress on native alternatives to oil; Collins cites the Alternative Energy Committee, an advancing wind programme and planned grants for small hydro schemes.
asked the Minister for Industry and Energy the progress that has been made to date in the development of new energy sources as an alternative to the growing cost of oil imports, particularly in regard to experimental work on biomass, wind-power and small hydro schemes; and whether he will arrange to speed up these development programmes.
Comment on this
The Department of Industry and Energy, through the Alternative Energy Committee established under their aegis, have been actively involved in the promotion of native sources of energy of the kind specified in the Deputy's question.
The National Windpower Programme is now well advanced and it is expected that nine wind machines will be in operation before the end of the year. Two machines are already in operation and a third has been erected.
The hydro programme of the Department of Industry and Energy includes plans for grant-aiding a selected number of small hydro schemes of up to approximately 250KW as part of the assessment of hydro power for future development. Also a national hydro resource survey spanning two years is being considered. These programmes are likely to be introduced in the near future. Already a comprehensive register of existing small hydro installations has been compiled.
A forest biomass demonstration programme commenced in 1979. Bord na Mona are growing 400 hectares of coppicing hardwood species on cutaway bogs at Clonsast, County Offaly and Oweninny, County Mayo. The Forest and Wildlife Service are growing 200 hectares of short rotation single stem conifers on virgin bog at Bangor Erris and Sheskin, County Mayo. The coppiced species can be harvested four or five years after planting and the single stem wood after six to ten years. The ESB are modifying one of their peat burning units at Screebe in Connemara to handle the timber. The first crop should be available in 1984, but it will be towards the end of the decade before the demonstration programme is complete.
As I said, these programmes are of an exploratory and demonstration nature and their benefits may not accrue for some time to come. They are proceeding, however, as quickly as resources at my disposal will allow.