Grant funding comes from Skillnet Ireland through the Irish National Training fund, and, as a result, is ONLY available to residents of the Republic of Ireland who work as a sole trader, or for a private or semi-state commercial company registered in ROI. Please read Eligibility Criteria.

Day 1 Agenda & Context

Agenda Topics & Overview
1. Introductions
○ Context: Introductions of participants and companies, individual experience in renewables, and course expectations.

2. Basics of Renewable Energy
○ Context: Key power vs. energy concepts (kW, kWh, MW, MWh), grid power delivery, turbine technology, capacity factors, solar irradiance in Ireland, and constraint/curtailment dynamics.

3. Regulatory Overview Ireland
○ Context: Roles of CRU, SEMO, DECC, EirGrid, ESB Networks, and MRSO; Electricity Regulation Act 1999; Climate Action Plan targets; EU Clean
Energy Package; Trinity of Consents (Grid, Planning, Route to Market);
2025 regulatory/grid updates; and Private Wire framework.

4. Company Structure (SPV)
○ Context: Typical Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) setups, key contractual
relationships (O&M, Leases, PPA, Insurance, TAM/CAM), and
corporate/holding company ownership structures.

5. Project Lifecycle
○ Context: Phases from pre-development assessment and consenting to
construction, 25–30 year operation, and eventual repowering or
decommissioning.

Day 2 Agenda & Context

Agenda Topics & Overview
1. Revenue
○ Context: Revenue sources across government support schemes
(REFIT/RESS), Corporate PPAs, System Services (DS3), merchant market
trading (DAM, ID, BM), redispatch compensation, and Guarantees of
Origin (GOOs).

2. Operating Costs
○ Context: Structure of operational expenses including turbine O&M,
Balance of Plant (BoP) maintenance, community benefit funds, land
leases, imported electricity, insurance, TUoS charges, TAM/FAM fees,
and local authority rates.

3. Balance Sheet
○ Context: SPV balance sheet dynamics, asset depreciation over 25–30
years, prepayments, debtors, revenue accruals, creditors, and debt
schedules.

4. Intro to Project Finance
○ Context: Non-recourse project finance principles, cash-flow lending,
lender risk assessments (P50/P75/P90), facility agreements, debt
coverage ratios (HDSCR, FDSCR, LLCR), cash waterfall, and interest rate
swaps.

5. Budgets / Financial Model
○ Context: Annual budget workflows, financial model dashboards, NPV
and IRR calculations, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), sensitivity
testing, and turbine-level financial metrics.

6. Tax for Renewables
○ Context: Key tax diligence areas, Relevant Contracts Tax (RCT) rules
and automatic penalties, and capital allowances eligibility for
renewable assets and batteries.

Day 1 Learning Outcomes

● Understand how electrons are managed through the grid to arrive at the net
electrical output.
● Gain a clear overview of the regulatory environment in Ireland.
● Understand how a renewable energy Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is
structured.
● Understand the various lifecycle phases of a renewable energy project.

Day 2 Learning Outcomes

● Understand the various sources of revenue in a renewable energy asset.
● Understand the typical operating costs in a renewable energy asset.
● Acquire a high-level understanding of Project Finance mechanics.
● Understand how budget cycles work and how financial models are updated.
● Identify and navigate key/risky tax heads in renewables.