ESB has a package of supports in place for micro-generation. This is a generous scheme just introduced which will pay 19 cents per kWh for the first 3,000kWh exported annually. This payment will be made to the first 4,000 micro-generators connected in the next 3 years and will be paid over a 5 year period.

Main Points are

• The Public Electricity Supplier (ESB Customer Supply) will offer an export payment of 9 cents per kWh. This payment will be available to domestic customers of PES, see Commission for Energy Regulation Decision Paper CER/09/033.
• ESB will provide import/export metering free of charge to the first 4,000 domestic customers installing micro-generators in the next 3 years.
• As an initiative to support micro-generation, ESB will provide an extra support payment of 10 cents per kWh for the first 3,000kWh exported annually. This payment will be made to the first 4,000 micro-generators connected in the next 3 years and will be paid over a 5 year period.
• The ESB support payment will be available to all electricity suppliers who offer an export tariff for micro-generation. The supplier who buys exported electricity from a micro-generator will also sell them their imported electricity.
• Domestic micro-generators, including farming households, are free to export as much as they wish but will only get the extra 10 cents per kWh for the first 3,000kWh exported annually over a 5 year period. This means that in effect the customer will be rewarded for units exported at a similar level to the cost of units used within the home.

For more information on the news from ESB, follow the link below to their website.

http://www.esb.ie/esbnetworks/generator_connections/micro_gen_connections.jsp#q1