The owners of photovoltaic installations in Poland express their dissatisfaction with the low rates of energy buy-back. A group of prosumers have become active in social media, who feel cheated and plan a nationwide strike. The article will present the reasons for their discontent, plans for protests and possible consequences for the electricity strategy in Poland.
Frustration of prosumers: low energy buyback rates
The owners of photovoltaics, accounting for net-billing, are bitter about the low energy buy-back prices. On social media there are many entries in which prosumers complain that energy rates are so low that they donate it for free. "At rush hour, the energy rates are negative, which means we're giving it distant for free. In a word we are being robbed" – they compose on their profiles.
Plans for a nationwide strike
In consequence to the current situation, the owners of photovoltaics formed a group that aims to unify as many dissatisfied prosumers as possible. The next step is simply a nationwide strike in which they plan to disconnect their installations from the network. "We will protest and disconnect our installations from the network", the organizers say. They besides call for a broad association with the protest, arguing that only mass action can force decision-makers to change energy policy.
“People have the right to feel cheated”
Maciej Borowiak, president of the Polish PV Photovoltaic manufacture Association, admits that he understands the organizers of the protest. "People have the right to feel cheated," he says, referring to the government's promises of favourable accounting rules for energy produced by prosumers. In the election campaign, the current ruling coalition announced lower electricity bills for those investing in photovoltaics, which prompted many people to invest.
Net-billing: a fresh settlement system
The current settlement strategy – net-billing – replaced the erstwhile net-metering strategy in 2022. As part of the net-billing prosumer sells surplus energy produced and buys it if necessary. The problem arises erstwhile the prices of electricity on the stock marketplace are falling, meaning that the prosumer does not gain on the energy supplied.
Negative energy prices
One of the biggest problems for PV owners is negative energy prices. In April 2024, there was twice a situation where the production of renewable energy sources (RES) was so large that the manufacture was incapable to collect it. For prosumers, this meant the theoretical necessity to pay for the energy produced, although this did not happen so far due to the intervention of the Polish Power Networks (PES), which decide to decouple photovoltaic farms from the network.
Potential Effects of the Strike
Experts indicate that mass shutdown of photovoltaic installations may have serious consequences for the Polish electricity system. With a full of 500 people, this would not be important, but with nearly 100,000 detached installations, which correspond to 1 GW (gigawat), this could disrupt the operation of the full electricity system.
Government proposals: dynamic tariffs
Since August 2024, the owners of photovoltaics have been waiting to change the way they account for the dynamic tariff system. This strategy is intended to encourage the consumption of as much energy as possible for its own needs, and the value of energy will be calculated on the basis of the hourly electricity price set on the Good Energy Exchange. In practice, this is intended to facilitate the usage of electricity at times erstwhile it will be the cheapest.
Expert doubts
Experts uncertainty that the fresh dynamic tariff strategy will attract prosumers. Jakub Plebański, elder lawyer of Rödl & Partner, emphasizes that the introduction of the Central Energy Information strategy in Poland was postponed until 1 July 2025, making it hard for accurate accounts based on a dynamic energy price. "The attractiveness of this incentive seems tiny and I do not anticipate it to importantly influence the choice of hourly accounts by prosumers," says Plebański.
Number of prosumers in Poland
Currently there are nearly 1.3 million prosumers in Poland, and the full capacity of photovoltaic installations is 10 243 MW (megawatts). This is simply a crucial number that shows how much photovoltaics play in the Polish energy system.
The owners of photovoltaics in Poland feel cheated and threatened by a nationwide strike. Low energy buy-back rates and negative energy price problems make prosumers increasingly bitter. Government proposals for dynamic tariffs have not been enthusiastic, and experts uncertainty that fresh solutions will attract prosumers. Mass exclusion of photovoltaic installations could have serious consequences for the Polish electricity system, which makes the situation even more tense. The future of photovoltaics in Poland now depends on uncovering a solution that will satisfy both prosumers and regulators of the energy market.
Continued here:
Photovoltaic owners are threatening to strike. They feel robbed.
