Increasingly more prosumers in Serbia – Here’s how to calculate how much the construction of a rooftop solar power plant will cost you

In the first 11 months of 2023, the number of prosumers-households nearly tripled, from 602 households in 2022 to 1,846 in 2023, and it is recording a constant growth. The upgrade of the manner of calculation, the increase in the price of electricity, as well as state subsidies for the construction of solar power plants, have contributed to this trend.

Due to the great interest of the citizens, the Center for the Improvement of the Living Environment prepared and put into operation the portal meant for supporting and informing the citizens about the construction of solar power plants and the acquisition of the status of the producer-consumer (prosumer).

– The internet portal prozjumer.rs is meant for everybody who is interested in becoming a prosumer and building a solar power plant on the roof of their family house and everybody who wants to learn more about the possibilities of the use of solar energy for own consumption in the household. Keeping in mind that the institution of a prosumer is actively implemented for less than two years, we believed it was necessary to bring the production of renewable energy in households closer to the citizens. On this portal, they can find accurate and relevant information which guides them through all the technical, procedural and financial aspects, which will help the citizens avoid unnecessary mistakes and costs that we have learned about while talking to prosumers in Serbia – stated Ivana Jovcic, the director of the Center for the Improvement of the Living Environment.

On the prozjumer.rs portal, one can find articles and illustrations which explain in more detail the concept of the production of electrical energy for own needs, the principle of net metering, the manner of operations and the equipment necessary for solar power plants, an overview of the current subsidies for the construction, planning and determining the size of the power plant, the procedure of the construction and connection, the necessary accompanying documentation, as well as numerous other pieces of information that are important for a successful and cost-effective use of the Sun energy in a household.

You can do an estimate of the potential of the construction of a solar power plant on the roof of your own house, as well as the price, with the help of the Solar Calculator: https://prozjumer.rs/solarni-kalkulator/

– The appearance of prosumers on the energy scene of Serbia has infused the electricity market with a new dose of dynamics and courage. The participation of the citizens will increasingly change the image of our electrical energy system, which, with time, will become less dependent on coal and the import of electrical energy, more sustainable and resilient, and contribute to its being more democratic and decentralized. Numerous examples show that, in the countries where the concept of a prosumer has been introduced justly and in compliance with the standard principles of this way of the production of electrical energy, citizens very gladly take part and build solar power plants on the roofs of their houses. In the past years and a half, certain aspects of the calculation of electricity have changed for the better for prosumers, but there is still plenty of room for the participation of citizens to be facilitated and made even more favorable and attractive – added Vladan Scekic of the Center for the Improvement of the Living Environment.

State subsidies for construction of solar power plants

Let us remind that, so far, over 90 towns and municipalities have opened contests for citizens for subsidies for the energy repair of family houses. Within the invitation, citizens can apply for several measures. The subsidies for individual measures amount to up to 50%, whereas, for several measures, that percentage is higher and goes up to 65%. Local self-governments finance solar power plants of up to 5 kW, that is, up to a maximum of RSD 420,000.

Saving and production of energy – investment that pays off

Achieving energy sustainability is most efficiently realized through the implementation of energy efficiency measures, before we choose to invest in a solar power plant. We first need to invest in replacing the joinery and repairing the façade of the building in terms of thermal insulation, after which we can switch to a more efficient heating system, and it is only then that we should invest in the production of energy from renewable sources.

With a proper design and proportions of the capacities of the solar power plant, the adjustment of the consumption of electrical energy and the use of subsidies, solar power plants can pay off in less than 10 years, and the expected life cycle is at least 25 years. With the announced growth of the prices of electrical energy, the period of the return on the investment will shorten.

Centar za unapređenje životne sredine Beograd

Ivana Jovčić

Vladan Šćekić

prosumers

construction of solar power plants