Because the Czech Republic summits its photo voltaic potential, with impending modifications to the nation’s legislative panorama ushering in higher utility-scale photo voltaic array rollouts, over 5,000 attendees – authorities ministers, trade specialists, and key enterprise stakeholders – descended on Prague this week for the 2023 Good Vitality Discussion board.
The 2023 Good Vitality Discussion board befell at Prague’s O2 Universum convention corridor from Oct. 17 to 18. The occasion drew 5,000 attendees and 72 exhibitors throughout 8,500 m² of ground house, with greater than 30 panel discussions targeted on photo voltaic. pv journal lined the primary day of the convention in Prague, Czechia.
Because the central European nation clocked in 2,627 MW of put in photo voltaic PV capability on the finish of 2022 – which is 426 MW up from the earlier yr, based on estimates revealed by the Worldwide Renewable Vitality Company (IRENA) – the Czech Republic’s continued achievement of those photo voltaic good points was on the lips of most attendees. Nevertheless, the obstacles in the best way of those achievements – fraudulent operators, lagging grid infrastructure, and prolonged software processes – have been additionally closely mentioned and dissected.
Czech Atmosphere Minister Petr Hladik mentioned that the photo voltaic trade is presently experiencing an enormous growth. Nevertheless, he dashed hopes for the nation solely pursuing PV by stating that its producing capability can be a mixture of renewables and nuclear. There are six business reactors producing roughly one-third of the landlocked nation’s electrical energy.
Hladik mentioned the federal government is on the cusp of releasing a nationwide local weather coverage. The doc will set up a roadmap for the federal government to realize carbon neutrality by 2050, together with a fivefold improve in photo voltaic and wind capability. He added that the federal government additionally needs to extend grid flexibility.
Robert Sedmera, a gross sales consultant for Austrian PV producer Fronius, advised pv journal that the corporate has operated in Czechia since 1991. He mentioned that doesn’t consider the nation’s photo voltaic capabilities will ever eclipse nuclear, however famous that the general public urge for food is leaning extra towards the solar and cheaper electrical energy costs. He added that the value for electrical energy is presently “excessive” at CZK 6 ($0.24)/kWh, and famous that there’s an extra distribution payment of round CZK 4 crowns, bringing the entire price to CZK 10/kWh.
“About two, three, 4 years in the past, the value for the electrical energy was a lot decrease, so then the additionally the return of funding was 10 years or 12 years,” Sedmera mentioned. “No one wish to, and no one may, I might say, think about that electrical energy would now price that a lot.”
He mentioned that in comparison with Austria and Poland, Czechia will not be assembly all demand for photo voltaic. The federal government is “taking too lengthy” to approve installations, he mentioned.
Martin Bursik, president of European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF), mentioned that the elephant within the room for Czechia is the federal government’s prolonged approval course of. Nevertheless, he famous {that a} directive is within the pipeline so these occasions may very well be slashed if tasks meet sure standards.
Pavel Chovanec, gross sales supervisor of native distribution firm SolSol, advised pv journal that authorities subsidies have helped to ramp up business PV installations of late. However he mentioned that he agrees that native authorities must expedite sluggish processes.
Miloš Preisinger, a renewable power specialist for Swiss mechatronics specialist Stäubli, advised pv journal that the native photo voltaic market is rising because of altering authorities laws and rising neighborhood want to chop again on fossil gas emissions. Nevertheless, he claimed that “dangerous merchandise and corporations” have threatened to derail the fame of the native sector.
Milan Hošek, a consultant from the Czech Photovoltaic Affiliation, echoed these considerations. He advised pv journal that the caliber of rooftop installations is the “largest downside” dealing with the home trade. He mentioned that incorrectly put in PV rooftop arrays pose lightning dangers, and that would harm the sector’s fame.
Preisinger mentioned one other “main downside” is grid connection. The federal government must spend money on bettering getting older infrastructure, he mentioned, estimating it will price “many tens of millions” over not less than 5 years to make sure that your entire nation is correctly linked.
“It is extremely essential as a result of many individuals have made investments to the photovoltaic system,” Preisinger mentioned.
Stepan Chalupa, president of the Czech Renewable Vitality Chamber, mentioned that Czechia’s power market is constantly bettering, however higher laws are wanted to ban fraudulent suppliers from working. This concern was echoed by Natálie Foltýnová, advertising and marketing coordinator of German renewables developer BayWa re.
Attributable to surging power costs attributable to the battle in Ukraine, “everybody wished PV on their roof within the Czech Republic” final yr, she mentioned. This led to extra mounting firms flooding the market, however not at all times delivering outcomes. “They solely collected cash,” Foltýnová defined. “Now all people is afraid, and no one trusts the mounting system firms.”
Chalupa appeared to specific optimism in regards to the authorities working with stakeholders to determine key acceleration challenge zones. Later within the day, Pavel Doucha, founder and companion of the native legislation agency Doucha Šikola advokáti, clarified this legislative push in higher element.
In a speech on upcoming Czech photo voltaic and battery power storage system (BESS) laws, Doucha famous a variety of main legislative modifications for 2023. He pointed to efforts to amend power and building legal guidelines for bigger tasks and the push for a European Council framework to speed up smaller renewable power initiatives of round 50 MW. From subsequent yr, reforming building legal guidelines will streamline PV environmental approvals, he added.
Anticipated modifications within the upcoming yr embrace delineating and simplifying photo voltaic array areas and amending the agricultural land fund to forestall photo voltaic parks on such land. Moreover, a brand new workplace in Prague will course of giant PV purposes.
Probably the most essential change is figuring out key areas for large-scale photo voltaic, with 13% of the territory deemed appropriate. The federal government’s Ministry of the Atmosphere is mapping these areas, that are protected by as much as 60 layers of laws, together with nationwide park, cultural heritage, and uncommon species zones. The federal government goals to simplify these layers, however the extent of simplification stays unsure.
Susie Su, japanese Europe gross sales supervisor for China-based photo voltaic inverter producer Growatt, advised pv journal that a significant problem in Czechiac is that sure inventory that shoppers purchased final yr was declining. Nevertheless, there may be thge potential for business photo voltaic options “rising,” she mentioned.
“I heard from our companion that there shall be some subsidy mannequin business resolution, for instance, a manufacturing facility can set up the business operation although the business resolution, [and] can save extra money on the electrical energy invoice,” she mentioned. “I believe will probably be good for enterprise.”
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