Energy Community publishes guidelines for regulating renewables self-consumers

The Energy Community Secretariat has published policy guidelines on the integration of renewables self-consumers into the energy networks.

According to the Policy Guidelines on Integration of Renewables Self-Consumers, it follows the latest legal requirements stemming from the European Union’s Clean Energy Package (CEP), soon to be adopted in the Energy Community.

The document replaces the secretariat’s 2018 Policy Guidelines on the Grid Integration of Prosumers.

Guidelines consist of six sets of recommendations

The changes harmonise the guidelines with CEP terminology and the new provisions governing renewable self-consumption, the document reads.

The policy guidelines consist of six sets of recommendations. The first one covers policy framework and the second is on the legal and regulatory issues. Guidelines were also issued for technologies and technical requirements, self-consumption and access to the market, on self-consumption and access to the network, and charges, taxes and levies.

The purpose of the guidelines is to provide advice to policymakers in the contracting parties

The purpose of the guidelines is to provide advice to policymakers in the Energy Community contracting parties on the development of national legal and regulatory frameworks conducive to renewables self-consumption and empowering final customers to actively participate in the self-consumption of renewable energy, the secretariat said on its website.

The paper reflects the inputs received via the public consultation process, where stakeholders submitted their views on the draft.

The publication of the policy guidelines will be followed by workshops on the legal and regulatory framework and best practice examples in light of the EU’s experience. Special attention will be dedicated to the development of a framework conducive to renewable energy communities, the secretariat said.