Filenews 6 January 2024 - by Chrysanthos Manoli
Those who find suitable photovoltaic systems on the market with purchase and installation costs (including VAT) up to €1250 per kilowatt, and have an annual household consumption of up to about 6,000 kilowatt hours, will be able from the beginning of February to submit electronically their application for the purchase of a system without initial capital or advance payment, to then repay it with bimonthly instalments of €150. It will be possible to install photovoltaics up to 4.2 kilowatts, a power that is completely satisfactory for the average household.
If... If photovoltaics with a price of up to €1250 per kilowatt disappear from the market, consumers will have the option to buy a more expensive one, but the extra money (ie more than €1250 per kilowatt) will have to be prepaid out of their own pocket. In instalments, they will pay the amount for which the Ministry of Energy chooses to provide payment facilities, through the RES and EE Fund. That is, if a household chooses to install a photovoltaic system for eg €1400 per kilowatt, it will be charged with €5,600 for a system of 4 kilowatts, instead of €5,000 which is the maximum amount included in the new plan Photovoltaics for All by the Ministry. Therefore, he will pay the installer €600, and the remaining €5,000 will be paid in instalments.
Are there photovoltaic systems on the market with a price of up to 1250 euros per kilowatt? From the Ministry of Energy but also from market circles we hear that there are and meet some basic specifications that will be set by the RES Fund, including the granting of a guarantee of a few years.
Other market circles, however, argue that due to high interest rates and the obligation that installers will have to install photovoltaics and be paid by the RES Fund only after their connection and operation, they will be forced to borrow funds from banks, at increased cost. Therefore, they argue, some will be forced to raise prices above €1250 per kilowatt. As a large response and demand from domestic consumers is expected, it is not possible to make safe estimates whether healthy competition will work to keep prices below €1250.
Sponsorship also locked
Phileleftheros' information also states that the proposal that the Ministry of Energy will submit to the Council of Ministers for public consultation and then for approval in the Council of Ministers will provide that households that will use Photovoltaics for All will be able to receive a state grant of €1,000. Therefore, the final cost they will have to pay in instalments will fall to €4,000 for a four-kilowatt system, ensuring a dramatic reduction in the bimonthly electricity costs, plus the €150 of the instalment, along with the payment of EAC's electricity bill.
What if some households benefit from the reduction in electricity costs, but do not pay the €150 instalment? The information indicates that the plan will include a provision that will allow the EAC or the Operator to disconnect (lock) the photovoltaic system on the premises, so that the household can start to be charged regularly by EAC for all the electricity it will consume from the network, at a cost probably higher than the cost of the bimonthly instalment.
If everything goes according to the ministry's plan, early next week the Photovoltaics for All plan will be put to public consultation for a few days. Towards the end of January, the final plan will go through the Ministerial, immediately after that the Register of Installers will open for professionals who want to serve the world to register -with names, addresses, phone numbers!- and a few days later, at the beginning of February, households will be able to submit their applications to the upgraded electronic platform, will get pre-approvals and will contact installers to choose their photovoltaic.
The ministry gives assurances that a lot of preparatory work has been done so that the platform and other bureaucratic procedures can "work" faster, so that applications for photovoltaics and applications for state funding can proceed rapidly.
