Federation of BiH launches grants program for prosumers

The Federation of BiH, one of the two entities constituting Bosnia and Herzegovina, has launched a grants program to co-finance the installation of rooftop solar power plants, expected to cover around 500 households a year and lead to an increase of 4.2 GWh in renewable electricity production.

Operator for Renewable Energy Sources and Efficient Cogeneration – Operator za OIEiEK estimates that the average installed capacity of the solar power plants will be 6 kW, and that the grants will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3,800 tons a year.

The program will be funded from renewable energy surcharges

The program will be funded from renewable energy surcharges paid through electricity bills by all consumers in FBiH. Grants will be approved for two categories of applicants. The first one is vulnerable households whose annual consumption exceeds 3,500 kWh. The second covers those who consume more than 5,500 kWh a year and whose connection power is equal to or less than the requested installed capacity of the solar installation, according to the decision of the Operator za OIEiEK.

The maximum grant amount per applicant is BAM 7,000 (EUR 3,580), or up to 60% of the investment cost for users in the second category.

Damir Miljević: People in extreme energy poverty will get solar power plants for free

Although the budget and the anticipated scope of the program are modest, one positive aspect is that part of it is intended to fully cover the cost of PV installations for people in extreme energy poverty. They will receive a rooftop system free of charge, eliminating, partially but permanently, some of the concerns about financing their energy needs, according to Damir Miljević, a member of the Board of the Center for Sustainable Energy Transition (RESET), a BiH think tank.

Prosumers were introduced in the FBiH legislation two years ago, with the passage of a set of reform energy bills, including the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources and Efficient Cogeneration.

At the national level in Bosnia and Herzegovina, prosumer regulations have not been adopted yet. According to some estimates, the country could cover half of its electricity consumption by installing solar panels on about a million roofs.