I have to call bullshit on some commentary floating around on this.

The Irish Times are reprinting a Merrion Street press release and some in the Green Party actively misrepresenting (or misunderstanding) it. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-and-resources/seven-community-renewable-energy-projects-get-go-ahead-1.4352856?mode=amp

The scheme is a subsidy scheme for renewable energy production (which is great).

But 1) The scheme was set up by the previous Govt and 2) only 7 out of 200 odd projects who have been awarded a *subsidy on the energy produced* are community based. The rest are 100% for profit

This isn't to say that theres anything wrong with any of the community projects who have been approved - it's that this is an early example of green party / "community" washing pre existing government policy.

I also (personally) have huge questions over the efficacy and capacity for "communities" to fund and manage hugely expensive and heavily regulated energy infrastructure projects, and question why we aren't establishing these through the state - but that's a crib for another day!