Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:44 pm on 8 November 2022.
So, yes, that's very interesting. I am aware of it, and it's a very interesting development. We are very keen. The scheme referenced by our colleague, Mike Hedges, is a very similar sort of scheme, so we're very keen to understand how we might lever in finance in order to assist communities to come together to do exactly that, and then to share the energy out. So, in that scheme in particular it's very impressive that not everyone has a roof suitable for solar, but everyone is able to share in the power distribution and so on. So, yes, we are absolutely very keen on that. I'm also working with Swansea University, who have a very interesting, not yet at scale, home-grown solar panel invented. So, being able to get a supply chain that was Welsh-made would be really great, not only because I'd really love to have that kind of technology being made in Wales, but also just the carbon footprint of bringing them all from China is obviously considerable. So, there are lots of things to look at there, which I'm very keen to do.
Just in terms of hydrogen, I did mention HyNet, but I am aware of all of the other possibilities. We've just invested £1.21 million in a whole range of projects on hydrogen right across the north and west coasts, including looking at a range of renewables that might be used to generate excess energy, as it's called—so, energy that can't be exported into the grid—in order to make hydrogen production more viable. We certainly will be looking at that as a transitionary phase as we go forward.