Photovoltaics, presented to the tenant consumer, Minister of Development and Technology Waldemar Boda

During the press conference, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Technology pointed out that in recent years there has been a very dynamic development of photovoltaic cells for consumers in single-family homes, often in rural areas and in small towns. – We are convinced that cities, including large ones, should participate in this development. This can be done by offering a hired consumer – said Boda.

Currently, the subsidy amount for photovoltaic installations in multi-family homes is the same as for single homes, up to 6,000 PLN. zlotys. The minister indicated that under the proposed solution, co-financing will reach 50 percent. installation value.

– Today, to put the installation on a block, it is possible to co-finance, as in Moje Prąd, up to 6,000 PLN. We propose a completely different philosophy. Those fixtures are going to be a little bit larger here, so the funding will be higher. We subsidize up to 50 percent, which means that with an average installation of 30 kWh, we can pay almost 75,000 PLN for an installation of PLN 150,000 – said the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Tourism.

He added that energy billing rules will also be changed to make it as profitable as possible. – Today, with the principles of netbilling, we are dealing with a situation in which we consume most of the energy on a self-consumption basis, while what we give to the network, in short, 20 percent, is paid to us. These new rules will consist in the fact that everything we produce beyond self-consumption will be fully settled by the operator, the energy distributor, says the Minister of Development.

The grant will cover the purchase, assembly or construction of a new facility RES or update the installation, resulting in an increase in installed capacity by at least 25%. Supporting installations, such as energy storage and heat pumps, will also be co-financed.

Boda announced that nearly half a billion zlotys would be allocated to the program, for the time being under advance financing from the Polish Development Fund. – The program is evidence that we are mobilizing PFR funds to pre-finance planned investments in the KPO. This is one of the first programs that concretely shows that we have launched this tool without waiting for the decisions of the European Commission, because we know that sooner or later it will happen – he said.

He announced that cooperatives and residential communities will be able to apply for co-financing for photovoltaic installations from February 1 to Gospodarstwa Krajowego Bank. He emphasized that for the average tenant in an apartment building, the program would bring significant savings.

According to the Ministry’s calculations, a typical building with 64 apartments for common needs consumes 4 megawatt-hours per year, which means a cost of PLN 2,800. The photovoltaic installation produces up to 30 MWh per year, so it covers common consumption and gives revenue to the building in the amount of PLN 19,000. 600 PLN per year. As a result – according to the calculations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Tourism – tenants will not pay for energy in the common area and their own consumption cost will decrease – in the given example, the average reduction per unit will be PLN 328 per year over the next 15 years. With 50% backing, expected return on investment is around 5 years – estimated.

– We would like this program to lead to such an explosion in the development of photovoltaic facilities as My Electricity in 2-3 years – said Boda. He believed that photovoltaic installations would be built on most of the blocks in the cities.

As he said, the ministry hopes that the first of these investments will be built in the spring. He added – We are also ready to finance those investments that are in the process of preparation.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Tourism has informed that – in accordance with the proposed solution – the manager of a multi-unit building (TBS, co-op, community) will be able to invest in a facility larger than what is required for the common part. Self-depreciation will only apply to the common part. All energy fed into the grid will be billed monthly with the seller at wholesale rates and credited to the owner’s account. The owner’s income will reduce the costs of maintaining the building, and the savings can be used, for example, for renovations. The consumer (premises manager) will have to inform the energy seller of the method of settlement (i.e. the case of the tenant-tenant), documenting it with a decision on the construction of such an installation.

The Ministry stated that the following options are currently available for multi-unit buildings: common area operation – consumer settlement, i.e. self-consumption, and selling to the network at an average wholesale price. The surplus is credited to the energy account, and the remainder is deposited to the account. Any surplus is refunded at the end of the year at 20%. Amortized (20% for each month of unused funds). If the surface area is small, the installation fully (or partially) covers the energy costs of the common area.

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