Mr. Marian. from the vicinity of Kielce is 1 of many Poles who have invested in photovoltaichoping to cut the electricity bills. In 2022, after the promises of photovoltaic companies that assured him of future savings and environmental benefits, installed a strategy worth PLN 25 thousand. Unfortunately, alternatively of savings, 90-year-old Mr. Marian feels cheated by changes in Energy billing system and an excessively large installation which has been pressed in as ‘optimal’. What went wrong, and what are the wider problems with photovoltaics in Poland?
He invested PLN 25,000. Was it worth it?
Mr. Marian invested his savings, hoping the photovoltaic strategy would reduce his electricity bills. Installed a photovoltaic installation, whose power has been selected at 4,000 kWh per year, much more than it needs. alternatively of savings, however, it collided with a reality that proved much more complicated and costly.
First, the strategy introduced by PV company it did not take into account Mr Marian's real needs, which made his installation far besides large for household purposes. alternatively of gaining energy to cover regular needsMr. Marian has become the victim of an excess that has in practice not benefited. As it turns out, surplus energy put on the grid, alternatively of making tangible profits to it, has been held by PGE And, as it turned out, only part of that energy was accounted for.
Changes in energy accounting – who gains from it?
With the introduction of the strategy net-billing in 2022, Poles became prosumers energy to enable the sale of surplus electricity. In exchange for surpluses, energy was to go online, and owners of photovoltaic systems, specified as Mr. Marian, were to be rewarded for their contributions. However, the reality proved much more complicated. Under the fresh rules, surplus energy that is transferred to the grid is settled at net rateswhich means you get little for no little than the energy you buy.
Mr. Marian writes that after having 2 years of photovoltaic he passed 4000 kWh of energy to the network, but unfortunately, only 20% of this energy has been accounted for with energy taken from the net. This means that 80% of his energy has been "frozen" and he inactive has to pay to bills for energy taken from the network, even though it owns a photovoltaic installation that generates excess energy.
Scandalical practices of PV companies
It's not just changes in regulations that origin controversy. Mr Marian, like many another Poles, was a victim unfair practices of PV companieswho persuaded him to buy the strategy about too much power. The problem is that these companies frequently sale installations that are not adapted to the actual needs of the client. As a result, many Poles, alternatively of savings, find themselves in a hard financial situation, where the excess of energy produced does not bring them any real benefits.
For Mr. Marian, an additional concern is uneven energy accounting. For example, the energy it consumes from the network is paid for all costs, both for distributionand energy trading. In turn energy from photovoltaics is only accounted for turnover, which does not include distribution costs. In practice, this means that Mr Marian is not only does not gain on surplus energy, but besides bear additional costs associated with the fresh clearing system.
Net-billing: Is this truly a fair solution?
System net-billingwhich has become the current accounting model, is not well received by all prosumers. Although it is intended to enable the sale of energy to the network, Prosumers receive a net surplus rate, which means that they are lost in relation to the cost of purchasing energy. erstwhile photovoltaics do not produce energy (e.g. at night), prosumers must buying energy at a full gross price, i.e. including distribution costs and VAT. In practice, the introduction of the net-billing strategy did not bring the desired benefits – Many Poles complain that they do not pay to install photovoltaics, and the strategy alternatively of helping them, imposes additional costs.
What changes in photovoltaics after changes in regulations?
In mid-2023 the government decided to amend the Renewable Energy Actby offering prosumers a choice: settlement based on hourly or monthly price. This was intended to enable the strategy to be better adapted to the real needs of prosumers. However, delays in implementation fresh rules and transparency There are inactive serious doubts about the full process.
What are the options for Poles?
For Mr Marian and many another prosumers in Poland, the problem with photovoltaics does not end with the incorrect installation. Introduction more transparent and fair settlement systems is essential to prevent specified situations in the future. The offer of PV companies should besides be revised to make them more tailored to the individual needs of customers. Delays in regulations and unfair practices of companies photovoltaics can make installation of the strategy unprofitable, and Poles lose money alternatively of saving.
Read more:
Photovoltaic for PLN 25 1000 and a broken 90-year-old: How do government and companies cheat Poles?
