Renewables

EUR 2 million in grants to be disbursed for PV systems in 35 municipalities

Photo: Pixabay

Published

August 21, 2018

Country

Comments

0

Share

Published:

August 21, 2018

Country:

Comments:

0

Share

Public buildings such as kindergartens, schools, municipal buildings, and other facilities in 35 municipalities will get EUR 2 million in grants for the procurement of photovoltaic (PV) systems, the Macedonian Ministry of Finance said.

The grant funds to enable municipalities to procure PV systems to generate electricity for public buildings’ consumption will be allocated under the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and through the Municipal Services Improvement Project implemented by the Ministry of Finance, according to a statement from the ministry.

The grant is intended for 35 municipalities in four regions with the lowest GDP per capita. The municipalities will need to identify the facilities for the installation of PV systems, which will ensure significant savings on electricity bills, the ministry said, adding that the project will also help diversify the country’s energy mix, in line with the government’s strategic efforts to encourage the use of renewable energy sources and environmental protection.

Prosumers planned under new energy law

Macedonia has recently taken legislative steps toward introducing a market-based support scheme for renewable energy, as well as prosumers that would produce electricity for self-consumption and feed surpluses to the grid.

In a recent interview with news agency MIA, state power utility ELEM General Manager Dragan Minovski said that electricity production does not have to be “a one-way street,” noting that this is usually achieved through the installation of rooftop solar panels.

Macedonia, which has been granting subsidies to households to install solar thermal panels, targets a 23.9% share of renewable energy in final energy consumption in 2020, up from 19.9% in 2015.

Macedonia already has a solar panel plant

PiKCELL Group, in partnership with Solar Power, unveiled a plant to produce solar photovoltaic (PV) and thermal panels in Skopje earlier this year. This is the first such plant in Macedonia and the region, according to the reports.

The investment is expected to reach EUR 5 million by the end of the year. The plant, spanning 1,500 square meters, currently employs 20 people. According to Goran Paunov, top man at PiKCELL Group, the plant can produce PV panels with a total capacity of 20 MW annually.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

Croatian Chamber of Economy lex specialis for renewables position paper

Croatian Chamber of Economy asks for lex specialis for renewable energy sector

28 March 2024 - The Association for Renewable Energy Sources produced a position paper identifying obstacles and possible solutions

romania delgaz hydrogen 20HyGrid

Romania successfully tests blending hydrogen in natural gas distribution grid, households

28 March 2024 - E.ON Romania declared success in its test of blending hydrogen into the gas network and using the mixture in households.

IRENA-Global-solar-power-capacity-surpasses-hydropower-in-2023

IRENA: Global solar power capacity surpasses hydropower in 2023

28 March 2024 - The world's renewable electricity capacity additions in 2023 hit a record 473 GW, dominated by China. Solar power became the largest segment in total.

aleksander mervar eles krsko solar slovenija

Mervar: Electricity from Krško 2 nuclear project won’t be cheaper then EUR 125 per MWh

27 March 2024 - CEO of Slovenia's TSO ELES Aleksander Mervar said gas power plants need to be built to prevent the need for large electricity imports