274. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department has examined the regulatory approaches taken in Germany and the United Kingdom in relation to plug-in mini solar systems; whether consideration is being given to the development of an Irish safety and certification framework, including approved equipment standards, installation guidance, consumer protection me…
Topics / Solar Energy Guidelines
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSolar Energy Guidelines
77 questions from 28 TDs, between 20 February 2025 and 20 October 2026.
77
questions
75 written, 2 oral
28
TDs have asked
8
parties and groups
Independents counted together
8
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 3 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 2 |
| June 2025 | 0 |
| July 2025 | 3 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 2 |
| October 2025 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 4 |
| December 2025 | 5 |
| January 2026 | 2 |
| February 2026 | 4 |
| March 2026 | 4 |
| April 2026 | 13 |
| May 2026 | 16 |
| June 2026 | 7 |
| July 2026 | 0 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 4 |
| October 2026 | 4 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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11
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11
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7
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5
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5
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5
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3
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3
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
707. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the new National Planning Statement on Solar Energy; and to provide a timeline for its publication. [34750/26]
54. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position regarding the SEAI solar PV grant scheme; if his attention has been drawn to concerns related to the qualifying criteria that prevents homes built after 2021 from the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31860/26]
55. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on the merits of expanding the SEAI solar PV grant scheme to include all homes including new builds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31861/26]
56. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on whether the existing policy related to the SEAI solar PV grant scheme that excludes homes built after 2021 is equitable; if this is under review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31862/26]
89. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on the ineligibility of homes built after 2021 for the SEAI grant (details supplied); the reason for this; if there are plans to amend the eligibility criteria in order that owners of homes built after this date can access the grant ensuring that energy and climate objectives are furthered and ensuring that the scheme…
204. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether plug-in or balcony solar systems are currently permitted under Irish grid connection rules; the number of such systems registered to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31652/26]
205. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment whether his Department has conducted any analysis on supporting plug-in or small-scale solar systems for apartments and renters; the estimated cost per household and potential annual savings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31653/26]
206. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the specific regulatory or grid connection barriers that currently limit the rollout of solar generation in apartments and rental properties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31655/26]
282. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the reason solar PV is not included as a standard measure under the warmer homes scheme; whether this is under review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29711/26]
326. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence if there are solar panels in place on the rooftop or within the grounds of her Department building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30693/26]
327. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence if her Department has a solar panel policy in place in relation to the installation of solar panels on all buildings operated and owned by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30711/26]
328. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence if her Department has a solar panel policy in place in relation to the installation of solar panels on all buildings operated and owned by agencies under the control of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30731/26]
329. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence her views on the merits of installing solar panels on all buildings operated and owned by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30748/26]
330. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence her views on the merits of installing solar panels on all buildings operated and owned by agencies under the control of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30769/26]
333. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Defence the position regarding any buildings operated and owned by her Department that have solar panels in place to support the energy demands of the building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30839/26]
178. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if his Department has taken steps to speed up a determination regarding whether plug-in solar systems can be used in Ireland; if any barriers to the use of this technology have been identified in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27656/26]
392. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will provide a hybrid inverter, battery and changeover switch under the solar PV for medically vulnerable scheme, as the current offering under the scheme means that medically vulnerable individuals will still be without electricity during a power outage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24001/26]
1811. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline any plans to streamline the process for homeowners living in architectural conservation areas to install rooftop solar panels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26837/26]
235. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment his views on whether solar farms would best be located on marginal lands or cutaway bogs, and that where possible the use of prime agricultural land for the generation of energy in this way should be avoided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21586/26]
172. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment when a clear directive will provide for both installers and homeowners alike in relation to change over switches for solar installations, in order to allow homeowners to continue to power their homes during electricity outages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21351/26]
132. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the number of households that have availed of the solar PV for the medically vulnerable scheme for each of the years it has been in operation; the amount of funding that has been used to deliver solar panel installations as part of the solar PV for the medically vulnerable scheme for each of the years it has been in operation, in tabu…
1092. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide clarity on the application of current planning regulations governing the installation of solar PV panels on non-domestic structures, such as agricultural sheds; if he is aware that the requirement for a 500 mm clearance at both the top and bottom of panels can dramatically reduce the number of panels that may l…
187. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the input his Department has had into the development of solar energy development guidelines as initiated by the Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14620/26]
321. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide updated figures on the installation of solar panels in homes, new and retrofitted, with a year-by-year breakdown since 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12635/26]