North Macedonia enables prosumers to sell surplus electricity

North Macedonia amended the rulebook on renewable energy sources, increasing the maximum capacities of rooftop solar power plants for households, firms and government institutions. Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi said they will be able to sell surplus electricity.

In accordance with the Law on Energy from 2019, prosumers have been introduced as power market participants in North Macedonia. Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi presented the changes in the rulebook on renewable energy sources, saying they enable citizens and companies to produce electricity on their roofs and sell it to a buyer or the power distribution company.

The amendments came into force today. According to the ministry’s rulebook, a prosumer, defined as consumer-producer, is a household, small consumer or budget user that can build a unit for the production of electricity from a renewable energy source for own consumption and deliver the surplus to the distribution grid.

Accounting period for prosumers is six months

Every household, firm and state institution can sign a contract with a power supplier, including the universal supplier. Surplus is calculated according to the average purchase price of electricity that the universal supplier procures for the supply of households and small consumers, Bekteshi said and added the accounting period for prosumers is six months, starting on July 1.

Homeowners in multiapartment buildings can form a community and build a rooftop solar power system of up to 6 kW

The maximum installed capacity has been increased to 6 kW from 4 kW for households and doubled to 40 kW for the category of small consumers. The ceiling for the latter was initially planned to be lifted to 60 kW per entity.

The minister said homeowners in multiapartment buildings can form a community and build a rooftop solar power system of up to 6 kW and consume the electricity in jointly owned parts of the building.

Smart meters free of charge

Universal supplier EVN Home now has the obligation to install a metering device free of charge for those who are placing photovoltaic systems on their roofs, Bekteshi pointed out. He revealed his ministry proposed to erase the rule from the Law on Construction that municipalities decide whether to allow prosumers to install rooftop solar units.

The minister said that the government adopted a subsidy program worth just under EUR 1 million for households that purchase and install solar panels for own consumption this year. Each beneficiary is entitled to as much as 30% of the cost but no more than EUR 1,000. The Ministry of Economy will announce a public call, according to Bekteshi.

In other news, the Municipality of Kavadarci said it has begun to install solar panels of 19.2 kW in total on ten public buildings.