Electricity Regulation Act 1999

The Electricity Regulation Act benefits renewable energy in the following ways: - Full deregulation of the electricity market for renewable electricity in advance of full liberalisation of the overall electricity market. - Priority dispatch given to electricity generated from renewables. - The establishment of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) with a remit to encourage R&D in renewables. In the liberalisation of the electricity market in Ireland, special consideration was given to renewable electricity suppliers in granting them access to all consumers in advance of full market opening. Renewable electricity generators and suppliers are also advantaged in that they only have to balance aggregated annual renewable electricity supply and demand to qualify as a "green" electricity supplier, rather than that for each half hour metering and trading period. One renewable electricity supplier has been successful in developing a renewable electricity market and is also involved with the development and operation of wind farms. However, few other wind farm owners have opted to sell generated electricity within the deregulated electricity market, as the guaranteed term of the government price support scheme is the best vehicle for attracting ficing. Also, the base level price, or "spill price", which nondispatchable electricity generators can command when selling their electricity within the electricity market without a supply contract is currently considered too low to be viable. The independent electricity supply market is in the early stages of development with few relationships formed between renewable electricity generators and independent suppliers.

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