Will there be any subsidies for domestic energy storage?

Ten post dostępny jest także w języku: polski

The government has announced changes in the next edition of the Moj Prad programme to allow for subsidies for backyard energy storage facilities. Until now, the subsidy was limited only to the photovoltaic installation itself. The changes are intended to encourage prosumers to store the energy they generate and thus relieve the burden on the grid infrastructure, but it is still unclear how much the government subsidies may amount to.

According to the draft act on renewable energy sources, energy producers, the so-called prosumers, will be obliged to store the generated energy. For people with photovoltaic panels in their households, the entry into force of the project of the Ministry of Climate and Environment will entail costly investments. Prices for energy storage range from PLN 6,000 to PLN 20,000. Although the regulations may take effect from 2022, for energy distributors and photovoltaic installers it will be yet another opportunity to develop their business.

The fourth edition of Mój Prąd, which will come into force in 2022, is intended to support the grid infrastructure that has so far been used to transport surplus energy produced by domestic photovoltaic installations. Due to a lack of modernisation, the low- and medium-voltage network infrastructure is outdated in many sections and this leads to the failure of transformers which cannot cope with the additional load, Furthermore, the programme will aim to reduce the losses of transmitted energy. By storing energy and using it later at the point of generation, it would be possible to eliminate the need to send surplus energy to the grid.

Although the installation of energy storage facilities is still rare, and until now only large investors have made such investments, this trend may change due to the grants. Subsidies could encourage prosumers to generate energy in households. The exact amount of the subsidies is still unknown, but according to Ireneusz Zyska, Government Plenipotentiary for Renewable Energy Sources, the subsidies will not exceed 50% of the installation costs. Most likely, the grants will range from 25% to 50% of the amount which the ministry will deem to be the market price.

Photovoltaics is very popular in Poland and both individual customers and companies involved in acquiring energy from renewable sources invest in installations. Recently, the ZE PAK group has completed the construction of a 70 MW photovoltaic farm, and the energy generated by the farm is to support the production of green hydrogen. Companies such as Tauron and PGE Energia Odnawialna are also betting on photovoltaic farms, while Budimex has announced plans to invest in the energy storage segment.